


Endless Knight

by SonicComingOut



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Sonic and the Black Knight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-02-23 02:03:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13180068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicComingOut/pseuds/SonicComingOut
Summary: Secrets are not meant to be shared, or so Shadow believed. Inside himself he built a wall, impenetrable, impossible to invade, and impervious to all. Meanwhile, the Prince, coming of age, harbors his own secrets. When they are revealed, everything is going to come crashing down, and it's only a matter of time... before everything falls apart.





	1. Passive Resistance Required

The clang of metal rang down the empty corridors, proceeding their maker like a thunderous announcement of his coming. The constant ting should have been swords clashing in a duel, however, when one lone figure turned a corner it became apparent that the metallic sounds were nothing more than heavy armored boots clicking against ancient stone floors. Angrily. If that was a thing. Shadow was pretty sure it was a thing. He came to a stop in front of a large door and paused just long enough to take in a deep breath meant to calm his last frayed nerve. Lifting a gauntlet, the dark knight pounded on the wooden barrier and let his voice carry through the blockade. 

“SONIC!”

Damn blue hedgehog was supposed to be at training twenty minutes ago but apparently he didn’t believe in punctuality. Or being awake before noon. Shadow’s eye twitched and he pounded another knock in time with it. 

“Open this door. NOW.”

Sonic was dreaming, dreaming being the operative word, about bugs, lotsa bugs bugs everywhere gotta get em smash the bugs --- so they don't get on my stuff cuz my stuff is important where the fuck am I? Why am I defending the stuff- 

He was tossing and turning and making slight soft mumbling sounds, Calibern was silent, though he recognized there was some trouble in the bed next to him- 

"Get off- ew" 

Sonic's leg kicked up, stuck in the sheets as he waved a right hand in his face to bat away imaginary butterflies- hundreds, no, thousands of them cluttered his field of vision and what--- in the he--- 

BANG

BANG BANG BANG

The butterflies were exploding into various displays of fireworks- Sonic stopping and dropping his hands on the bed- drool lolling off the side of his face as he relaxed to enjoy the show in his mental network- before 

"SONIC" 

The fireworks were yelling OH THAT WAS WEIRD-his name??? HOW DO---- 

"Sir Sonic" 

Wait that was not the fireworks, that was calibern and that was---- Lance? Shadow? What was Shadow- 

Sonic shot up, throwing his hands forward and then slamming them down on the bed- gasping loudly- his ears perking up wildly repeatedly every time the door banged again- before he looked down at the floor at calibern and got up- twisting in the sheets and fighting them off with absolutely zero grace before - 

Whump

A pause- 

"Coming-" 

Sonic struggled, getting up to his feet, pitching forward as he rubbed his muzzle hard and opened the door, sticking his faun hands on the wood and staring at Lance in a clear daze- 

"What is happening? Why are you here?" 

He had forgot. 

He had totally forgotten.

Shadow had to jerk his whole body back to prevent the next knock from landing squarely in the prince's face. Without the justification of 'training' no one would believe it was an accident... regardless of it actually was. And that’s when the words sunk in and permeated the air between them.

Why. Was. He. Here.

WHY WAS HE HERE?!

With a quick mental check on all the laws and bylaws against strangling a crown prince, Shadow decided it wouldn’t behoove him to act on the sudden urge welling up inside him. Violence wasn’t the answer, his trainer had once said. Shadow, of course, disagreed but his master had a point when it came to the boss’ lazy son. He clenched his fist and dropped his arm as he rose up to his full height, quills fluffling slightly with irritation.

“Training.” He growled low in the back of his throat. How could he forget? NO ONE forgot an appointment with SHADOW. Least of all when he went out of his way to train someone in the art of the sword (read: the King directly ordered him to it). 

“You’re late.” He gave the kid and once over, scowling slightly at how mussed he looked. “Get dressed and come along.” He turned, paused and then glanced over one shoulder. 

“Now.”

Whoa, Shadow looked like...Well he looked like Shadow so I guess that didn't really count now did it? Training? Sonic swore he was not getting used to it at all, beyond that he was a nocturnal creature, all ...hedgehogs were.... ....which explained why Shadow was such a grump in the morning- he needed like ... a coffee break? 

"Uh---- Ok ok --- you --- uh hold on---" 

The door closed and within seconds he was out of it, holding calibern, his shoes and gloves on and ready to go - though he stopped to rub his face with a heavily clad gauntlet just before he looked back at Shadow. 

"You shouldn't be up this early you know- we're not supposed to be"

He gave a enthusiastic thumbs up, before he shook his head slightly, then rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with the back of his gloved palm- chaos in ten handbaskets, they needed to reschedule or something--- ...or something

"You don't have to be so grumpy- grump, I didn't mean to upset you, I just didn't know because I didn't agree to it."

HE didn’t agree to it?

“No one agreed to it.” came the muttered response. “When the council reaches a decision and gives an order, you follow it.” No questions asked. Especially not from blue hedgehogs. Because if Shadow wasn’t allowed to voice his protest, Sonic certainly wasn’t.

As they made their way down the hall, Shadow half tuned out the nonsense spilling out of his counterpart. Something about mornings and worlds and mistakes? HAH. Shadow didn’t MAKE mistakes. Mistakes were for failures and those who embarrassed their own kind like SOME hedgehog he kne--

“Let me make this clear.” The knight glanced over his shoulder as they continued down the hall. “Training begins every day at 6am. No exceptions. You will be on the field, dressed and ready for the morning exercises or I will come and drag you out of bed myself. And, trust me, I won't be so nice about it next time.” Something to the tune of freezing water being dumped on Sonic’s head seemed like a “not nice” way to go about rousing his pupil. The thought brought a sly smile to Shadow’s lips as they reached the door to the training field.

“First things first: Always be prepared.”

He said this as he opened the door to was seemed like a mass of people armed and engaged in sweaty battle. There was combat all around, in every corner, and it looked like a massive bar brawl if there wasn’t some semblance of order to it all. This was training and Sonic was going to get used to it whether he liked it or not.

Sonic blinked and then opened his mouth to voice a protest, and just as he was getting his thoughts around what exactly TO protest??? The early mornings? The fact he was being threatened sorta? The fact that he was being ordered around ??? What ??? 

Wow that was just too much to even bother with .... sheesh!

What a grump!

In the end there was so much to object to Sonic didn't even find the will to object to it- Shadow was kind of one of those people you avoided instead of argued with --- and Sonic knew how to avoid being in the same place every day so someone couldn't ifnd him and drag him out of bed- he had about a thousand places he could sleep and get into so...whatever?

He wasn't doing this but he wasn't going to tell Shadow he wasn't doing this.

"OK!" He said enthusiastically- acknowledging it- while fully intending not to adhere to it.

Shadow wasn't asking if he agreed, Shadow was ordering him, and that didn't work with Sonic because Sonic had to consent sooooo--

Without hearing Sonic protest the training regiment, Shadow felt marginally suspicious -though distracted enough by the fighting around him to adhere to the thought and press the matter further. If Sonic was going to agree then Shadow wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If Sonic didn’t agree… well, punishment could be very therapeutic. For Shadow.

The came to a small ringed off circle and the darker male stepped over the rope to stand inside, motioning for Sonic to do the same. Truth be told, while he wasn’t keen on training the young prince, he WAS keen on teaching him a few lessons. Lessons like: Why you shouldn’t talk back to your elders or sass an angry knight when he was in desperate need of more coffee. 

“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Raise your sword with your wrist facing up and we can begin with…” Shadow paused to internally groan, “The basics.”  
Anyone. They literally could have got ANYONE to do this but nooooo. The king had INSISTED it be Shadow, captain of the guard, who trained his beloved blue furball of a son. Again, that wicked smirk crept its way onto his lips as he contemplated all the ways he could get the hedgehog to quit while he was ahead.

Sonic watched him warily, Shadow just seemed to internally fume over absotively everything, what now? 

Someone needed to loosen the fuck up- not that Sonic was going to say anything, but his mood was shit- really it was, about a thousand percent of the time. Considering Sonic had the weight of the damn world on his shoulders you would think HE would be emulating one of the seven dwarfs a bit more - but he supposed that was just part of it all.  
Shadow had a position of defending the borders, and he probably didn't like being pulled from his duties because of the possibilities at stake- even in times of peace, which Sonic's line had obtained over generations ....because of how dang charming they all were I might add- it still was probably difficult for the guy to relax- 

in all honesty his shittiness was probably what got him the job in the first place- since captain of the guard was a job where apparently you had to have a stick FIRMLY shoved up your ass at literally ALL TIMES. 

Sonic stepped into the circle easily and then took position, he wasn't too bad off, a lot of his posturing was because he had trained himself before hand, everyone, literally everyone, had tried to stop him- knowing that sometimes when you teach yourself how to fight or how to use the blade you learn a style and that style sometimes has mistakes, and flaws, that had to be hammered out of you by a superior swordsman down the line- but Sonic was bored and liked to do things ahead of time. 

His father was secretly proud, though in front of Shadow he tried to keep the scene strict- Sonic knew sometimes his dad had this weird relationship with Shadow where Shadow was kind of a second nagging mom or something- it was weird- and complicated, but without Jules here- Shadow had no one to tell him to ease off a little bit- and from that ...... grin....which ...Sonic couldn't quite discern what the fuck it meant but to take a stab in the dark 

NOTHING GOOD 

was probably a great answer. 

Chaos fucking christ- 

He knew he was distinctively trained by himself, but he wasn't as good as Shadow, and if Shadow came at him full force that was going to be major hard to counter- if his dad was here he probably wouldn't but ---- 

His ....  
dad  
was  
not  
here.  
... 

"We both know I don't need basic training, you spent hours convincing my dad i shouldn't be teaching myself- are you giving me basic training because you're following protocol or ---" 

He bit his tongue- forgetting that he couldn't just mouth off right now- not with no one here to make Shadow relent if he suggested the superior swordsman was probably hammering into him because of spite alone - if not to change Sonic's style- which Shadow knew the cerulean ENJOYED the way he had learned how to use Calibern. 

This was going to suck no matter what- 

"Or because you're babying me?" 

Crap there really was no fucking way to talk to Lance....fuck even that was going to damn well offend him six ways from Sunday---maybe he really SHOULD get up at six AM....  
Sonic wasn’t so poorly self trained that there would be nothing to begin with but the mistakes he was bound to make was giving Shadow a headache already and they hadn’t even started. Self-trained swordsmen were always the first to die in a battle -he could attest to that first hand. Not that Sonic would be singing the war cry of battle as he rode off into the heat of conflict, brandishing that damn sword he loved so fucking much. 

“Feet wider apart.” Shadow barked, eyes narrowing at the stance with a critical eye. “Turn your wrist more towards the sky.” He batted Sonic’s blade harshly to make a point. “If it’s not turned correctly, you’re going to break a wrist and THEN where would we all be?”

Not training the prince, that’s for sure.

No. Focus. He had sworn his life to serving the royal family, regardless of who it was and how much he wanted to beat them for reasons he couldn’t confess. Something about Sonic just got under his skin.

Like the way he implied Shadow was babying him.

Oh for the love of- “No.” He groused, “I’m re-writing all that senseless self-training you were doing. Amature mistakes that need to be…” He looked at Sonic with a narrowed eye, “squashed. Before they become a problem later.”

Turning to step a few feet closer, Shadow circled the blue blur like a shark that smelt blood in the water.“The art of sword fighting is built in layers like a house. If the foundation is crap, the whole thing will eventually come tumbling down on your head and SOMEONE will end up hurt or killed.”

He stopped behind sonic, placing hands on the hedgehog’s shoulders to lower them a little. “Don’t scrunch up your shoulders. Being tense will only cause issues.”  
Sonic inwardly rolled his eyes so hard he swore they would fall out of his metaphorical head. 

He spread his feet wider to compensate for all the barking he was having to deal with- his ears folding back at getting slapped on the wrist as he visibly flinched and then resettled-- the fuck was up with this guy? Something COMPLETELY unrelated that was for sure. 

His ears slowly came back up as Shadow spoke to him, blinking as he address his training- talking about how he needed to be- ....

OK 

THIS WAS WEIRD 

This was WELL beyond getting up early in the morning but there was no way IN HELL Sonic was going to address it up front- not in front of a bunch of dudes fighting because that would just make things worse since Shadow was professional, and in general Sonic had no way to address him about what was going on at all because he was Lancelot- if you offered to ask what was wrong, or maybe even to help- he flared up like a mama bear protecting the cubs of his own ego. 

Sonic knew Lance well, and he had just gotten weird more recently- he hadn't been this angry at him growing up, but with no explanation really to be granted, Lance grew super distant out of no where, didn't like when Sonic called him "Shads" which he used to ALWAYS do insisting it was "time to grow up" and just in general pushed the Prince back so far he was practically a stranger in a lot of ways lately. 

Something was up but Sonic couldn't figure it out, had no way to- there was just THAT Lance and then THIS Lance, overnight. He asked Jules if maybe his dad had told Lance to change his conduct but Jules was just amused every single time, telling him he had "nooooo idea" in a sing song way that just made no sense. 

After getting asked nearly ten times his father finally laughed and said - "It's just a rough time for him my son, don't take it personally" 

Which ....how long was he going to be in a ROUGH TIME? He had been like this for like a year now! How long was Lance "DEALING WITH IT" chaos it was getting on Sonic's last nerve. 

Sonic was a patient, sweet individual who always wanted to help, and was very considerate, he was praised for being "raised right" consistantly, only breaking rules to excel , like training when he wasn't supposed to. Sometimes he did things that were stupid, like break open the battalion on accident by surfing down the roof on a shield- but that was a total mistake and he fixed it- so what was with all this lip? No one else treated him like this and Sonic was a bit at a loss for what to do. 

Then Shadow lowered his shoulders and Sonic shuddered, he didn't like this- he didn't like getting yelled at and he was having a hard time with it- he wasn't going to yell back or fight because that didn't make sense, arguments never made a whole lot of sense, and it didn't get him anywhere - he always got what he wanted by listening, and being empathetic. 

He shook his head slightly to center himself again- 

He got the tough love and he did want to train he really did but he DIDN'T AGREE TO THE TRAINING the council did, and he didn't even know he was supposed to be up so early and NO he didn't want to continue to get up so early that DIDN'T MAKE SENSE EITHER. 

All of this was forcing his hand into a situation that he didn't want to be with with someone who was acting really hostile towards him and he wanted him to not be tense-Sonic dropped his shoulders, his right ear swiveling back to listen. 

"Yeah ... ok" 

He acknowledged again- witholding a puff of frustration pooling in his chest- witholding expressing it- he just had to focus and get through this.  
Once again, he had no intention of stopping training and he had no intention of getting up at six, all of this was going to absolutely destroy their relationship but....there wasn't a whole lot of that left now was there? 

What would he preserve by doing what Shadow wants? 

The guy was like a fucking wild bull ready to tear him in half - he could FEEL the tension in Shadow- even while Shadow was trying to get him to relax- which he did- just.... 

"Now what?"

When Sonic actually followed directions, actually listened to what Shadow was telling him, the tension between them seemed to ease. Like the knot in his stomach was slowly uncoiling and Shadow felt less of a need to… push… punish.. Control. And that’s what this was all about, right? Controlling Sonic in some aspect to make up for the fact he couldn’t do so in other situations. Pining never looked so ugly.

“Now we practice form.” Though the ever present tone of Drill Sergeant remained in the tonal inflections of his voice, the malice had dropped. Sonic was here, he was willing and actively training -no need to yell at him more than what was deemed ‘necessary’. “Starting with the exercises called the Butterfly…”

Shadow explained by leaning closer and taking Sonic’s sword arm into his hands so that he could manipulate it into position. 

“1.” He spoke when he had Sonic’s elbow bent and wrist turned so the sword was pointing directly down towards the floor. Then, without further comment, his gently wrapped his fingers around Sonic’s wrist and slowly rotated the limb until the sword faced the sky, “2.”

And like that, with his chest barely a hair from Sonic’s back, he controlled the blue hedgehog’s arm by placing it in the various proper positions for countering an attack. Sure he could have probably shown the princeling this exercise by taking out his own sword and forcing Sonic to mirror him but... he was trying to re-write bad habits and that meant being more ‘hands-on’. 

It made the blood in his veins rush around in heated excitement as his heart picked up the pace and his brain swore profusely at his body. Now was absolutely NOT the time to be getting excited. 

Thank god for metal armor.

Sonic allowed Shadow to invade his personal space with ease, there was no indication that he didn't full tilt trust the older male. 

His quills immediately dropped, becoming limp and flexible, with male hedgehogs this was a huge deal, because they had to actively relax to do it, naturally, any male generally has their quills up and ready to go at pretty much all times, it was akin to breathing- but with Sonic, he could relax, as strange as Shadow was a second ago, he wasn't being strange now. 

His ears stayed perked, and curious, a tall tell sign of his guard being down. Shadow could literally envelop the prince in a hug and have no limitations to contend with in how close he got. 

"Ooooh-cool!" 

Sonic piped up, sounding genuinely excited- which he was. The darker male was legitimately the best, better than anyone else - there was no better person to train him, and he was focused and invested, not wanting to waste anyone's time. 

After all, the obsidian's time was important to him- which made him have glaring doubts about NOT getting up at 6AM every day... He didn't want to waste Shadow's time coming to his door only to find a note on it- he didn't want to piss him off- but .... he wondered how Shadow even managed to adjust- how was he able to get up so early? Just sheer determination? Sonic could believe that- the prince had seen how far the older male had come, and he knew that he was a admirable person- it's just the guy seemed unreachable for a while now, and the cerulean was trying to be respectful of whatever distance he needed - unsure of what, if anything, he could do. 

Thinking hard, Sonic considered asking if he could show Shadow what he did fight like, but he got the feeling he wasn't allowed to suggest a change in the way the darker male planned to operate today. 

Something felt like he was barred from suggesting any kind of change or any kind of direction to the obsidian.... like a weight was heavy in his throat when he felt the impulsive action attempt to take place. 

He felt, cornered? It wasn't really a bad feeling, since he trusted that the older male knew what he was doing, and wanted to follow his lead, but he also sensed for some reason ...? He didn't have any of Shadow's respect back, Shadow didn't consider him a peer, which ok- he wasn't - not in age, or skill, but ... there hadn't really been a situation where Sonic couldn't compromise with someone so that both parties could be happy- and in this case---- ....

It really REALLY felt like there was no room for compromise in ANY direction. 

He just had to do what he was told and perform well and there was barely any roo to breath otherwise. 

His tail twitched oddly, fluffing up at an odd sensation of ? Gravity going backwards? In his gut. 

Well that was new? 

Bad feeling? Good feeling? He couldn't tell... he didn't know what it was, new and intrusive, causing a blatant shudder as he shook it off, rolling his eyes upwards before closing them and re-centering himself with a short headshake.

Shadow was very aware of every little movement Sonic made, from the dropping of his quills to the flickering of his ears. He made mental notes of these things and catalogued them as he adjusted Sonic’s arm into a new position.

“Three,” He breathed.

There was something about the way the blue hedgehog dropped his quills and allowed Shadow into his space was exhilarating. People (average people) weren’t allowed to be this close to the princeling; not that it was strictly forbidden, per se, but because such an important person required a certain amount of...protection. Protection that kept said prince away from crowds and those who would touch and grab at the prince, if ever given the opportunity. So, it stood to reason that being close enough to smell the remaining traces of soap still clinging to the prince’s fur was a rare opportunity indeed.

Shadow’s gloved fingers slid carefully from Sonic’s forearm to his wrist, gently turning it so the sword shifted position again.

“Four.”

The shudder which rippled down Sonic’s spine was unmistakably caused by Shadow’s proximity and that thought alone caused a heat to spread south. The fact that Sonic could get a… rise… out of Shadow was equal parts thrilling and irritating. It was like having an oasis just out of reach, with the metaphorical desert being his sexual escapades. Not having a mate in nearly ten years was enough to make anyone frustrated. Not having a mate in nearly ten years AND being forced into close proximity to someone he found arousing was a fucking nightmare.

“Five.”

Shadow needed to get a fucking grip. Sonic was off limits for so many reasons, the least of which being that he was the son of Shadow’s oath-bound boss. Fucking hell.  
“Six.” Again, the ebony hedgehog shifted his hands and allowed his fingers to trail in the reverse direction of earlier. From hands to wrists to forearms, Shadow made a mental map of the path he traced out in the guise of teaching the other to sword fight. 

“Seven,” Shadow pulled away, exhaling a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. The loss of the heat which had been building between their bodies was enough to force Shadow clench his jaw and flatten his ears back. Worthless libido didn’t know when to fucking quit.

“And that’s it.” With nothing else to do with his hands, Shadow placed them on his own hips and nodded at his pupil. “Now repeat.”

It took years (YEARS) to master sword fighting and the faithful knight wasn’t entirely certain he could hold himself in check for that log. The temptation was great and Shadow wasn’t as into self torture as some would assume.

Sonic held his stance and steadily replicated the movements, his quills replacing to their natural position in the midst of the count upward. 

"Four-" 

He was slightly off-just as you would suspect, but definition in his movements said "I am not a rookie" but "I am closer to average" as far as the grace was concerned.  
His eyes were narrowed and fierce-not a normal look he presented towards anyone-and his quills had splayed up, flexed. 

He had grown, a lot-it was more noticeable when he rotated his hips- drawing his chest upwards- his shoulders had grown broader, his torso longer. 

His fur a bit darker-all things that the Captain had attempted to avoid notice, his tail had lost all that flare as he got into replication mode of what he had just learned-  
A few seconds passed-

He lowered the blade back to the initial stance and locked into place before he looked down-checking his shoes- rubbing the sole of his right foot against the top of his left.  
"Mm-" 

He shook his quills out-laying them flush and looking back towards the darker male- "like that?"

His right ear swiveled as if questioning-appearing unsure if he had modeled Shadow well enough to be pleasing- he was a bit- no- a lot of a people pleaser by nature- offering to help when he could where he could in order to assure people they were in good hands with Jules AND his future reign- thinking ahead- and he was no different now.

Watching Sonic attempting to replicate what he was just taught seemed to clear the clouding lust in Shadow’s mind. He silently berated himself for a second, further annoyed that his thoughts had even drifted down that path. He was nearly ten years older than the other hedgehog and in service to the King. What, in all of chaos, was he doing getting heated over proximity. PROXIMITY. 

He needed a vacation.

“A bit sloppy.” Shadow responded, never one to sugar coat or beat around the bush. Brutal honesty was often the way of the knights and the Captain of the guard was a shining example of that. “Do it again. Focus on smoothing out the movements. You treat the sword like a tool in your hand, you should treat it like an extension of your arm.” He was crossing his arms over his chest and circling like a shark once more.

Part of him just wanted to see Sonic sweat it out like the rest of them -drag the princeling down to their level and make him more… attainable. Not that he was bitter with the way that royalty lived, he was just bitter to not be among them. But then again… Shadow would probably go crazy living with all the social responsibility each royal had. No, he was much better off commanding an army and training them to be better than the best -to be exceptional and without flaw. There was a reason the King kept Shadow in charge and also a reason he was the only one Jules trusted to train his son.

Frustrating as that may be.

“Again.” Shadow spoke up the moment Sonic finished with another set. “Do a set of 20 and we will move on to strikes instead of parries.” It was something the blue blur would probably appreciate, all things considered. Attacks were meant to be fast and calculated and everything Sonic was all about.

Sonic emulated the parries, subsequently becoming better and better at them, until he was swift and smooth, no complaints, and indeed breaking a bit of a sweat, which was appropriate considering it was highly physical and calibern was a hefty blade. Shoulders tensing near the end- his quills raised, sharp and on the defensive, pupils shrunken to let more light in, making the vibrant green more startlingly visible as he pulled back to stand straight and tall - the heels of his shoes touching together as he held the tempered steel at his side, a huff leaving him as he caught his breath back. 

His faun muzzle was splashed with a bountiful amount of red, raising his left hand to run it over his lips with the back of his gloved palm as he panted, he dug his foot into the ground again, this was the second time he had done it, like a horse of sorts, like he couldn't exactly stand still. 

It wouldn't be surprising to know he was a restless type, he was like a bonfire of energy flaring up intermittently when you splashed something flammable at him, and one of those things was anything even remotely related to athletics. 

Overtime, this was something people had noticed, what with the cobalt prince zooming about, placing emphasis on speed, absolutely wherever he went, training excessively despite going against the wishes of the council and the general amusement of his father. 

He had been athletic sense he was a child, and he was also bright, yet the moment he got done with any kind of studies he was back outside. Couldn't sit still through a lot of events though he tried, did he ever try. 

Yet there were a few things people didn't know about him- the little things that the male kept under lock and key because they were insignificant flaws. Things he kept to himself like his quirky anxiety attacks he kept under wraps, always having to do with the smaller challenges, things that normal people simply didn't suffer with. 

He wasn't asking anyone for help with any of that anytime soon, because he always managed to get it under control before anyone noticed- the only person who had caught him didn't say anything- the town blacksmith and one of his best friends Tails. 

He actually had come to know about the prince's problems on accident, and had actually made him multiple items to help him when he started acting up that had been useful. However no one else was under the impression the prince ever struggled with how charming and confident he was. 

He cleared his throat after wiping his face, a face that could light up a room, but right now, was lit up in red, including his velvet ears. 

"Ok - that was twenty -" 

Sonic being even slightly out of breath was probably a welcome sight to Shadow who was still getting over about everything that was happening today helping to burn his spite off bit as Sonic appeared more and more of a regular appearance. 

He would stand out, no matter what the circumstance, unless you coated him in a apocolyptic amount of dust and replaced his custom shoes with some leather boots, leather plain gloves, and threw him a simple steel blade he would blend in more- but then there was the gleaming eyes, the incredible regal vibe in that posture, you would have to break him, break him down and remove all that anacronism. 

He was a magnificent type of flair the way he was, with that fur that just was not genetically predisposed to anyone else within their borders and had not been seen outside their line- a recessive trait only a handful of male mobians had. Those red custom shoes created by their finest blacksmith with custom buckles and matching white gloves, completed with an shining accented gauntlet and a magical talking fucking blade- there was no reducing him, he couldn't be made attainable, not visibly, unless you removed aspects of him that were simply impossible to erase. 

Yet Shadow refused to see how simply impossibly magnificent HE was himself. HE was exotic, hailed from another country, taken in by the highest level of the court by Jules when he was young- a coloration none of the other hedgehogs had PERIOD in their entire nation. He was striking, and when Sonic looked up he couldn't maintain eye contact with the striking volcanic gaze Shadow levied him with. It was destructive and intimidating. It was difficult to be around him because Sonic just simply could not lock eyes with him without looking away. There was something there he didn't recognize, something that read that Shadow was planning to devour him in a way he couldn't comprehend and it legitimately bothered him, turned his stomach and made him shiver in ways he didn't understand. It made him want to run, but also made him want to stay and investigate, held captive in an enigmatic embrace that locked him in a mystery he wanted to solve, to find the variable and answer the equation. 

Something was there- something that was in another language, a language he had not read before, and wanted to speak. He wanted to know Shadow, but not just the black knight, the captain, he wanted to know why he was gone, why he was missing from his world for the past year, why he was aching when he thought of him, and why he still after all this time remembered the cinnamon smell that the older male had started to exude around the time he started pushing him off that to this very day made him search out the taste of those desserts that Blaze made in abundance for him, just to stave off a appetite he couldn't satisfy for a smell he only got a whiff of. 

He didn't know how to test it all, it was just acting out between them and it was out of control in ways he couldn't put a pin in. 

He blinked twice, rapidly, seeing the royal armor below him- 

"ONIC- Sonic-" 

His head jerked up- as his ears snapped forward in shock- what had just happened had he zoned out? 

He had- oh god, the adrenaline rush of anxiety at being a dissappointment snapped into his throat and rested there as he nodded briefly- shaking it off again and answering- "Sorry-" His voice broke, cracking in the middle, a soft, quiet sound- so he cleared his dry throat again- "I was just thinking really hard- my fault I'm sorry-" 

The male could NOT meet Shadow's gaze- he shrunk within the sight of the other male, he felt like he was being eaten alive- what the fuck was going on??!?! 

"Hhuh....w-what next?"

His voice was dipping low and uncertain, nose flaring as he acknowledged the words, face looking towards the ground, his eyelashes much thicker than Shadow remembered- just certain details about him had blossomed in ways meant to attract as a mate. Making certain sensitive areas about him even more curious in nature to explore. His quills immediately dropping in a subdued, incredibly submissive manner- like he was caught and was in his place. 

Sonic didn't ever seem this way in court, bouncey and happy and like a blazing flare in any situation he socially acclimated to- 

except this one----for reasons he didn't understand, couldn't understand- 

and ....wanted to understand- wanted to be exposed to and wanted to figure out. 

Sonic was a curious cat, and he didn't shy away from feeling uncomfortable- he met it, stride for stride, because he liked to learn- he enjoyed being taught- but the things he didn't know------ 

well- it WAS all the things Shadow was essentially restraining himself from teaching. Things he was barring himself to teach - but things Sonic could barely begin to piece together in his selfless reflections of what was going on. 

Just as Shadow was reveling in it all, the blue warrior in training finally lifted his gaze and held it- his voice steady as he said none-too-weakly- 

"So we are moving along to strikes now?" 

The certainty and the confidence returned, banishing away all of that submission, pulling himself into a position of relative comparable power suddenly with ease.  
"Cause I would like to try that now-" 

And he grinned- in a smug manner- something had sparked a realization within him, something that he was reacting to that he had an idea about, it was risky and reckless, but exploration was one of his biggest flaws and most prominent assets- and he granted himself permission to explore the other- and the shift in mood was permeable-  
"I always wanted to learn that from you."

Shadow considered Sonic for a long moment -eyes taking in every detail of the prince while his mind categorized everything he saw there. Sonic had grown. Not just physically but also into himself in a way that marked the end of childhood. It felt like Shadow had turned away for just a moment and when he turned back, that bratty little kid had become a man. Strange how these things happened so quickly and without his notice.

The older male walked away, having no issue with leaving his pupil in suspense while he fetched a water pouch. 

The physical distance allowed Shadow to cool his head and refocus on what he was supposed to be doing. Training Sonic. Teaching him the art of sword fighting and protecting himself from outside forces that may see fit to harm the prince. Not to mention molding him into the kind of adult that others could easily call King. Jules wasn’t going to reign forever and part of Shadow knew, without a doubt, that he was being charged with the task of shaping the future by making a King out of a prince. A small glow of pride over Jules trusting him with this task and Sonic expressing how he had always wanted to learn from him was like an ember that quickly spread a resonating warmth throughout his body.  
Coming back into view, Shadow tossed Sonic a water pouch and motioned for him to drink. His expression was less hard than before, less like a starving man looking at a feast and more like a quietly proud teacher watching their student excel. Not that Shadow would ever openly express that kind of sentiment but he could, at the very least, give the kid something to go on.

“That was good.” He allowed -a measured compliment designed to encourage but not over inflate one’s ego. “And as you have accurately guessed, we will move on to strikes.” The captain drew his sword and took up a position right next to his prince. “For now, you will mirror my actions until you have a handle on them.” After that would be dummy training to help with muscle memory before he would be allowed to spar with a real person. Training was slow and somewhat grueling but the pacing was necessary and Shadow refused to change the regime.

The ebony hedgehog talked Sonic through the motions he made, explaining why each strike was important and the end goal of it. Deliberate movements with no room for error or flair -a very Shadow method of fighting. He knew the prince would have trouble adjusting his (somewhat flashy) style into a more condensed version of fighting but he had every bit of faith it was possible. If not necessary.

Occasionally he would hum an approving sound, fingers tapping on his own muzzle as he observed the copied rhythm carefully. Fighting was in Sonic’s blood and it could hardly be surprising that he was such a quick study. Jules had been a fighter in his younger years, sparring with a young Shadow before Sonic was born. The Queen hadn’t been any better -renown for her defiance of social norms by learning the art of swordplay as a noble woman and besting the King in a duel. The prize had apparently been his hand in marriage, even if he hadn’t been aware of it at the time.

Sonic came from good roots and it stood to reason that he would grow into a shining example of Kinghood. But first…

“Remember to keep that wrist either facing the sky or facing the ground. You’re letting it slip and it’s going to get broken if you keep it up.”

The first day of training was going to carry them long into the day, pausing only for lunch and breaking finally for dinner. If Sonic didn’t wake up feeling slightly sore tomorrow, he hadn’t done his job as a trainer. Then again, Shadow tried not to think too much about how he could go about making Sonic sore in the morning -it simply made being close to him difficult to deal with. The smell of the prince’s natural morning rain scent was distracting enough without adding any mental imagery to the picture.  
Fuck. This training was going to ruin Shadow for life.

Sonic acknowledged everything that was said to him and then some, he was very responsive and did as he was told- eventually the two of them falling into an easy routine where the cerulean began to say "ok" or "yes" simply to make sure that the captain knew he had absorbed the information and was present minded. 

The male wasn't day dreaming, he wasn't falling out of line, though at one point he was stifling a yawn- and shaking his head repeatedly because he was fogged up a bit near the end. 

He got a second wind after lunch, but by the time he broke for dinner he was swaying on his feet a bit- and as he went to get food from Blaze he accidentally fell asleep at the table. 

...IN his food. 

He was awoken quickly as a maid handed him a towel, if Aleena had been there or Jules, he would have been rubbed directly in the face with said towel.  
The poor thing seemed EXTREMELY embarassed and excused himself suddenly- leaving his food behind and taking off before anyone could even get a word in edge wise his speed aiding his escape. 

What even was going on with him? 

Shadow was walking past the garrison, and saw Sonic, frantic, dart right between two large battering rams that were being moved, his eyes widened as he leaned back, grinding his shoes into the bridge cobblestones and slipping under one of them- coming out the other side almost at the business end of a blade and having to twist out of a low slide to narrowly miss it at such NARROW spacing that it actually cut into his ear, slicing it clean- causing him to take off faster - zipping easily between the rest of the knights, knocking some of them over unintentionally. 

The jackel who held the blade that cut Sonic's eyes widened in panic as he noticed that yes, indeed, the prince had spilt blood on his weapon, HIS WEAPON. Which was non-intentional. 

This was not normal- NOT AT ALL


	2. Just that drunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the biggest reasons why you run is to get away- but how far can you make it when you're in pain? 
> 
> Shadow's awfully fast, if anyone can keep up, he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3 Thank you for reading the first chapter all you 4 people, it means a lot to me because I was under the impression that this was bad pacing, if you have anything to tell me about how it is written please please please please do, it will help improve the future chapters being put out ! You may even influence the story! There's no reason why not!

Vanilla, the maid for the dining hall, caught up to the area shortly thereafter as everyone was recovering from the fact that he had passed through- mostly everyone remained completely intact- but a few were upset with how close the cobalt prince had come to actually lancing himself on their blades, only to hear Infinite swear in anger and upset and yell that Sonic "needed to be checked-NOW" 

He had dived, swerved, and switched gears so rapidly that some of the knights had no idea what had even happened. 

Shadow had witnessed the entire thing and from his vantage point it had been quite terrifying- as everyone else was putting rope, and dummies, swords, and spears back into place- Vanilla, one of the dining maids, ran on scene, stopping to pant- she hastily explained that she didn't know what was going on when Shadow inquired- that Sonic had fallen asleep at the dinner table and had seemed incredibly flustered after and took off without food- and that the behavior was incredibly off. 

Sonic meanwhile, threw himself into his room, slamming the door behind him, and falling down it- he pulled his feet up and mentally cataloged everything- he had fallen asleep in front of everyone, but that batallian issue only made everything worse- they were going to find out- maybe he could pretend he was just being reckless and impulsive but considering he had NEVER done that before he couldn't imagine anyone buying it. 

AND he was hungry. 

He hated these weird episodes, his ear twitched, and he raised his hand, touching it- it felt---? Tingly? When he pulled his hand back his glove was covered in a red liquid- 

Sonic's eyes widening- SHIT 

Shit shit when had this happened??? 

He knocked his own chair over at his desk to examine the wound, a slit, at the upper corner of his ear, crap- crap crap --- 

He needed medical supplies- he tried to focus on everything at once and began to notice he was panting- great great good good timing- wonderful. 

He pulled his glove off- wrapping it over his ear- holding it together tightly to stave off the blood that could come out- and then sat down, panting roughly-   
This would pass- then maybe he could sneak into medical- he didn't want anyone to patch him up- because that meant they would know he is reckless and incompetent- so he had to do it himself- but how?

Shadow could only watch the chaos unfold in stunned silence. The blank expression on his face betraying nothing of the sheer confusion fogging over his mind. What. The. Hell? 

No seriously. 

What the hell. 

Crimson eyes traced after the phantom of blue skittering its way through the practice grounds and out, leaving behind traces of red as he went. Wait.. red? Shadow squinted at the knight looking at his own blade in horror, clearly having somehow nicked the prince and… 

Again. What the hell?

A heavy sigh heaved its way out of the Captain, that feeling of being “put-upon” once again cropping up inside him. How had they gone the entire day with real blades and actual training and not sustain a single injury but the moment they were done for the day, Sonic got cut was was leaving a tiny trail of blood in his wake. Only Sonic. 

Shouts and cries of concerned shortly followed as panicked servants spread out trying to figure out where the prince had run off to. Evidently their eyes were not adept enough to follow the speeding creature, nor were they perceptive enough to pick up on the drops of blood leading away from the field. This is why Shadow was considered the best. You know, outside of actually just being superior in every way. 

… what?

Shadow tucked his book under one arm and casually tracked the blood to the source. Sonic may have been able to outrun everyone and hide where most wouldn’t think to look but Shadow wasn’t everyone and he certainly wasn’t most. 

Of course, hiding in his room wasn’t exactly the least conspicuous place he could have gone. 

Before knocking on the door, the ebony hedgehog waved down a servant and requested supplies be sent to Sonic’s room. Undoubtedly the prince was going to need more than a little tending to if what another servant said about the dinner fiasco was true. When the other left, Shadow lifted an ungloved hand and steadily knocked on the wooden door before him.

“Sonic.” It wasn’t exactly a questions or even a request. More like a warning that he was going to open the door.

Sonic was burried in the darkness and solitude beneath his desk- trying desperately to calm down. 

His heart was jamming a hammer into his throat at every beat-his palms were sweaty and his feet were freezing. 

He just had to wait it out- his chest felt so tight it was difficult to breath. 

The dinner was one thing- but his massive fuck up at the battalion was going to be impossible to cover. 

He swore he had ran past Shadow. Shadow ....he couldn't imagine how the older male must feel about him now. 

Inept-incompetent, unworthy. 

Sonic shoved his muzzle repeatedly into his arm-his face warm, blood seeping through the glove as his ear began to throb-a short hiss and intake of breath followed swiftly after - 

"Sonic" 

No

No

No no no 

"Sonic open the door or I will" 

Sonic slammed his feet down and ran towards the door-opening it-and turning away-crawling on top of his bed in misery and shame. 

He sat with his back turned to the older male- holding his ear-he could hear the sounds of the door closing as he wiped his face with his free hand- 

"Let me see-" 

Sonic was sniffing repeatedly-shaking like a leaf-he was never going to gain any respect back ever- but Shadow could help-he could-

He slowly released his hand-and withdrew-a solid pained inhale pushed and lodged in his throat-the blood had been slowed-but it was still streaming steadily-the perfect velvet ear had been shaved neatly and cleanly from what Shadow could tell- 

Sonic was .... crying 

Tremendously 

Tears were simply flooding his features 

Dropping down on his knees which he sat with his legs folded under him- 

"I'm sorry" 

It sounded so emotional, filled with extreme pain- he didn't mean to take up more of Shadows time-

"I'm so sorry-I didn't mean to run-" 

He gasped for air 

"Through-" 

He gasped again and shivered so hard it could be felt vibrating the very air around him. 

Something was VERY wrong here-

"The-" 

He inhaled- but his lungs were stuck together seemingly- causing almost no air to inflate them 

"Battalion-" 

He was struggling so hard just to apologize it was insane to watch- 

He was clearly VERY sorry 

He was wiping his face repeatedly with his left hand-over and over-before Shadow lightly touched his back and all his quills just fell-just relaxed-just like that. 

"I can't- look at your face- I'm so sorry-" 

Jesus what was GOING ON with him?

Shadow stared down at the blue prince, not entirely certain what to do with this… situation. Dealing with a hurt and crying Sonic was one thing (Shadow had been there while the boy grew up and had wiped away many tears in that time); however, dealing with a full blown panic attack while the other was coated in blood was something else entirely. He was trying to get a closer look at the prince -trying to see if there were any other injuries besides the obvious one to his ear, when the other spoke up.

Can’t… look at his face? 

Puzzlement became him puzzle and Shadow’s brain worked overtime to try and figure out what the hell was even happening. When nothing immediately leapt to mind, the older male decided to deal with the obvious first and work backwards from there. Blood and gore he could deal with, no problem. Emotional breakdowns? That was a little out of his depth.

“Hey.” He spoke calmly, as if talking to a cornered feral creature. “Take some deep breaths. I’m not mad, I just need to make sure you’re okay.” And it was true. He was just too damn confused to be mad at the moment, because.. What the hell?

The ear needed stitches. The cut was clean and would heal with minimal scarring but it needed some stabilizing stitches so that could happen. The kid was NOT gonna be happy with that. Sonic hated all things medical but he especially hated needles of any kind. Thank goodness he was the picture of good health or else there would be a lot more to deal with.

“Come on. We need a nursemaid to look at that cut. Make sure we can keep that part of your ear attached to you. Unless you hate it, in which cause… fuck it.” 

Okay. He was… trying. Shadow didn’t make jokes. Ever. People always assumed it was because he was too serious to do such a thing but the reality of the situation was that he was bad at it. Partially because people took him too seriously all the time and his lack of vocal inflection didn’t help any. One too many times had passed with someone taking his sarcastic commentary as a serious statement before he gave up all joking to the princeling. The kid was just naturally better at it than him anyway.

Guiding one hand under the other’s right elbow, Shadow helped the other get this feet and steady himself.

“If anyone ever asks how you got the scar,” The captain of the guard looked around before looking to Sonic with an incredibly stoic face. “Lie.”

Only the slightest upward twitch on the right corner of his mouth gave him away.

Sonic did like that part of his ear-and the pain increasing was causing him to bite down on the inner corner of his mouth-before he opened it and gaped due to the taste of copper- he drew blood in his own mouth from the gathering sensation of pain casting a ill-refutable sense of panic-panic that lunged at him with reflexes impossible to dodge.

"I can't lie" 

The feeling lodged roughly in his throat when he realized Shadow was going to take him out of his room. 

No. 

He dug his heels in mentally and then stepped forward, then dug his heels in again fighting two very different parts of his mind. 

He had to go-he knew it-but that just meant MORE people would see. However if the ear was left unckecked things could be even MORE obvious. 

His heart hammered in his chest when he turned towards Shadow and the darker male saw unanswerable terror in those eyes- they drew Shadow in like a interaction-pulling him and then drowning him in the immersive depths of fear. 

Shadow was-he was trying his very best-Sonic drug himself closer-Sonic dug his muzzle under his hands-unable to even think.

A tiny heartbreaking whine left him-and again when his ear started bouncing as he grabbed Shadow's hand-

The blue male was a sight to behold-hiding behind his right hand as he held Shadow's own- and the night caved in on Shadow as he recognized- the prince was having a panic attack-his ear tried to slide back- and a sharp whine of pain laced the air- the sound betraying the feeling. 

He was disorientated- and needed care- he seemed to only get worse the moment Shadow tried to guide him with words to leave the room- 

"No one else!" 

He began to rapidly pant- then pushed his face downward-and into Shadow's hand that he was holding, pressing along the bed and stretching out his body as he made a valiant attempt to calm down-his chest rising and falling similar to a wounded animal. 

"Please-it'll get worse-" 

He begged-shoving his face into the Captain's open palm, closing his eyes and holding the older male's hand to his muzzle. 

"Just you-I just want only you-please don't leave me" 

His eyes were closed and his breath was hot. 

"I can't do this alone anymore but I can't handle more than one person at a time" 

Blood was dripping rapidly down the side of his muzzle- whatever was going to be done needed to be done NOW.

Shadow internally groaning at the situation he had suddenly found himself in. Today was supposed to be easy. Why wasn’t today EASY? Clearly, the powers that be had it out for him.

Looking down at the forlorn look on his prince’s face, the older hedgehog took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. The calmer he was, the more rational he could be about a situation which could very easily get worse. 

“Alright.” He bended because something about the way Sonic was crying so desperately against him, made him weak to those pleas. “Let me call for some supplies.” He eyed the injury warily but figured it was no worse than sewing together battle wounds. Having actually been through a war or two, Shadow was pretty adept at stitching wounds cleanly.  
Dislodging himself from the clinging prince was another matter entirely.

“Have a seat at the desk. Keep pressure on the ear to slow the bleeding.” He, gently as he could, nudged his young charge in the direction of the desk by the bed. As much as he liked having the princeling so close, it wasn’t going to help solve an of their immediate issues.

When he was sure Sonic wasn’t going to collapse the moment he let go of Shadow, the knight moved towards the door. He waited until the blue hedgehog was seated at the desk before he cracked the door open and bellowed for some guards that should be posted down the hall. Sure enough, the clanging of metal announced their movements before they ever became visible.

“Fetch me a medical kit…” He began then paused to remember what else he could possibly need. Quickly rattling off additional supplies, he ended with…” and some strong spirits.” before closing the door. 

He didn’t need to watch the knights go to be assured they’d follow orders. Shadow had personally picked every member of the guard that was allowed entrance to the castle. This led to a situation where the closer a knight’s station was to the royals, the more Shadow trusted them on a personal level. To even breath in the family’s direction, you had to have passes an absurd amount of tests in both skill and personality. Shadow would never take any chances with his charges, they were far too important for that.

Moments later a soft knock at the door suggested the supplies had arrived and Shadow made his way over to the door. Careful to block the entrance with his own body, he accepted the supplies through the small crack he allowed before telling the guards to stand by in case he needed them for anything further. After that he closed the door and made he way back over to the nervous blue blur shivering on the chair by the desk. This kid though…

“Okay. This won't be pleasant but if you’re strong enough to pick up a sword, you are strong enough to handle this.” It didn’t matter if it was true or not, Shadow was giving Sonic something to believe in so they could get through the ordeal together. If Shadow believed Sonic could do something, then he hopped Sonic would believe in him enough to think he’s right.

"You're going to have to sew through my ear aren't you?" 

Sonic's face was a bit bleak, getting to the desk had been an ordeal in itself, and he sat there with his tail curled against his thigh. 

He sat still, fluffing up all over the place- his fur was twitching as if he had fleas- and his hands were gripping the desk roughly, his fingertips glancing over the wood before he looked towards Shadow with large emeralds, gripping the wound slowly and flinching. 

When Shadow stepped closer he watched with wild eyes, licking his lips like a feral cat waiting to flee, all the indications that he was dealing with mental processes that were hyped based on injury and irrational thoughts. 

He fluffed up when the darker male approached, then his fur gradually settled down as Shadow handed him the spirits and he looked downwards at it inhis hand- he knew what he had to do it was just a really awkward way to be introduced to alcohol.

He took it- noticing the smell was absolutely rank, and made a face, shaking his head before he downed it quickly - trying to swallow as much as plausible- before he had the bottle taken away from him swiftly as Shadow quickly responded, after about three strong swallows- which had Sonic shivering and shuddering and sputtering and coughing and gasping- christ 

"That's --- enough of that-" Shadow's voice said sternly, Sonic would be good and drunk very very soon with how much he just chugged. 

The smell was causing him to cringe, and he was going cross-eyed with it invading his senses. It was cute, if it wasn't for the fact that his ear was slit and if it wasn't for this whole predicament. 

"That stuff is awful-" 

He commented and stuck out his tongue in a rare moment of clarity after all of the other out of character interactions Shadow had had he was particularily ok with this one.  
Nearly ten minutes had gone by as Sonic shouldered into a state of muted and dulled pain- immediately settling down. His heartrate slowed, his temperature was hot, but that wasn't because he was panicking, and things felt a lot better- other than of course, him being drunk. 

"....Ok maybe not so awful" He remarked, dryly, irritated that a toxic substance could knock him right out of his own anxiety. It was a depressant, so if someone was hyped on anxiety it would relieve them of that and take away the edge- so it made sense he felt better off now- but still- he didn't like the taste and the smell and being drunk was a shitty substitute for being anxiety ridden. 

"My ear doesn't- hurt as bad, not nearly-" 

He hiccuped- 

Jesus Sonic was a lightweight. 

"I would complain about how much this sucks but----I bet you would just let me know how it's all my fault and stuff- right? haha--- yeah classic Shadow." 

Oh yeah he was drunk.

"It really was stupid though--- you wanna know why I did it?" 

Shadow was getting everything ready, turning to face Sonic, his brow arched- 

"Why?' 

He said, though his interest wasn't exactly peaked, he asked anyways because if the prince was distracted it might prove easier to sew through that velvet ear. As things stood their ears were very sensitive, they were relatively thin, but not enough so that a needle wouldn't be extremely noticeable. 

"I have a really horrible anxiety problem that I've hidden for over a year now- I don't know why- and it's getting worse- but you won't tell anyone will you? I want to see if I can fix it by myself..."

Shadow’s adept fingers threaded the needle as he continued to arch a single brow. Fix anxiety… by himself? Right. Because that such a successful strategy. Not that Shadow had any room to judge but at least he knew what he was talking about when he said, “That seems rather ill advised.” 

Picking up a cloth soaking in alcohol, the older hedgehog went about cleaning and cleansing the area. He may not be a medic but he knew the basics and this was certainly one of them. The princeling flinched under the first swipe but Shadow paid it no mind as he continued his work and the other eventually eased back into the chair. When the area was clean, Shadow picked up another liquid he wasn’t as used to using but was aware enough of what it was to adequately apply it. Numbing. Not something he’d bother with himself but Sonic wasn’t Shadow and the world was probably better for it.

After the numbing was applied and Sonic was a slouched lump in his chair, Shadow went about distracting him before getting to work. It seemed like the best option, all things considered.

“The anxiety started a year ago?” If he could keep the blue blur focussed on something other than the needle and thread, they might get through this ordeal faster than expected.

“When exactly was that?” 

He was half interested in the conversation and not at all sorry for the fact he was being given such information through a drunken tongue. If Sonic wanted to talk, then he’d let Sonic talk. He could hardly be blamed for the topic choice, let alone his own interest in said topic. Besides, hearing about this previously hidden condition actually gave him a lot of insight into the new behaviors Sonic had begun to exhibit. Things like disappearing suddenly after random events or his over exuberant personality which screamed “overcompensation”. Or… maybe that was just Sonic being Sonic. As a kid, the blue blur had always been a center stage kind of person -constantly viving for the attention of his parents, his guards and, most of all, Shadow.

It was that last part that had actually triggered the rift in their tentative friendship. Not to say was Sonic’s fault, Shadow knew himself better than the blame the prince for his own messed up responses to things -just that it was a catalyst for his future choices. Choices he was slowly starting to regret as he listened to his charge talk.  
The blue hog just sat back in his chair-barely able to feel anything at all- he could sense the tension of the thread as it went through his ear-but he couldn't feel the pain of it going through. 

The Captain had decided to numb his ear, that was nice of him? 

Was it? 

Why was that nice? 

Sonic was startled by how little kindness he expected of late from Shadow. How simple procedure could warm his stomach and ease his nerves so easily-but anyone would have applied this ? 

He held still and looked at his thighs, padding his hands together at his crotch and pressing his thumbs down against each other. 

"Uhm... yea... I don't know why-I just started getting really nervous about stuff... like if my lapels were straight or if my sleeves were sitting right or if my tail was perfectly centered... I felt like people would hate me and leave if I didn't do everything well... everything kinda got worse overtime an.... I unno... I told Tails an he made me some stuff to deal with it all an .... I just tried t...." 

There was a subdued hiccup. 

"Aw you don care-" 

He fell silent suddenly, that last statement hanging between them awkwardly. 

Sonics shoes pressed against the sides of the desk in thought, running them gently against the oak on either side. 

"I feel like if I mess up then people won't wanna be around me anymore. 'S... 

Like you did" 

Uh oh. 

"I'm not supposed to say that am I...oops"

".... this alcohol stuff just makes you say truth doesn't it? Sorry... I wouldn't of said it if I was sober ... I dunno.... it's probably not related... I prolly just worry about everyone abandoning me on principles. .. but you were the only one who got weird but it's not tha same so ... it ain't ... .... it ain't your fault, you are doing important stuff-don't have time for kids...I have lotsa friends, that's not a lie, everyone likes me....... cept you"

There was a pause.

".... I don't like alcohol"

His hands hung limp on either side of him as he contemplated how stupid all these statements were. 

Shadow didn't hate him-Shadow was just going through stuff. 

His fingertips twitched as his lips tightened. 

He missed the darker male, more than he wanted to admit. 

"Whoever you are now, it's ... it isn't right." 

He mumbled, bitterly, not caring at all what was being said. 

"I dunno what's going on with you, but it's ironic your name is Shadow cuz the way I remember you? I dunno. Feels like a figment of my imagination now, feels like you don't even know how ta smile nymore... I wanna help you but I dun know what is wrong ... so I just wanna wait for you to figure it out, maybe you'll come back some day, an the person you are now after a year? I don't like it. Yer mean and cold..." 

He visibly shivered, crossing his hands over his chest and rubbing his arms. 

"I know whatever you're dealing with must be bad, cuz you changed so much .... I know you gone through a lot so- I jus wish I could find whoever took you away, and jus-"   
He narrowed his eyes and exhaled once forcefully. 

"I jus .... wish I could do something"

Harm without intent was the worst kind. Shadow felt Sonic’s words like razors carving into him and he didn’t even have the right to get upset about it. That hollowed out sensation of pain he felt was entirely of his own making and now he was forced to roll in it. Great. Only Shadow could hurt both Sonic and himself in a vain attempt to prevent either of them from getting hurt in the first place. It was like, everything he did gave him exactly the opposite result.

“You…” Shadow narrowed his eyes at the injured ear, as if it had personally offended him. Thank god Sonic couldn’t see his expression because right now it was… unpleasant. “I like you just fine.” he amended, attempting to smooth over the situation.”There isn’t anything wrong with you as you are.”

The older male tied off a stitched and moved on to the next -being extra careful with the sensitive appendage.

“I left…” What could he say? ‘I left because I was harboring some rather inappropriate feelings for you’? Yeah. That would go over so well. “Because…” Shadow tried to put himself in the mindset of his younger self. Running away to the knights had been a means to an end and yet, after that end was achieved, he wasn’t any better off than before. “I was running away from my problems. When Maria…” He swallowed. Hard. “..passed, I made a vow to never let anyone around me come to harm again.” Fuck that was hard to say.  
This was NOT where he had planned this conversation going. “However, dealing with the family, YOUR family, and… you… made me realize that I wasn’t capable of upholding my vow. Not in the shape I was. So I left to focus on my training.” He tied off the thread again and snipped it close to the knot. “I worked until I became good enough to earn the title of Captain and from there I felt like I could finally return some of the good that was bestowed upon me.” 

Shadow tied off the final knot and then snipped the thread. “There. All done.”

He lingered behind Sonic, his cowardice showing in that he couldn’t face the other male at that moment. Couldn’t look him in the eye and tell him these things because it would feel like he had filleted himself open and presented his inner working to a god. Yeah, everything was a little messed up in his head. Maybe ‘a lot’ messed up.  
“It was never my intention to make you feel so… isolated.” Or unwanted. Lord knows Sonic was anything but unwanted. “I will endeavor to…” Every word had to be so carefully chosen, “... rectify the situation as it stands.” Meaning: He was going to work on his attitude towards Sonic -attempt to be…nicer? Less cold, at the very least. The prince really hadn’t done anything to deserve Shadow’s cold shoulder and if it was affecting him this badly, then it was something that needed changing.

Maybe this was the real reason Jules sought to train Sonic via Shadow. Maybe he saw a lot more of the situation than either of them could and was aiming to fix it? Of course, that was giving Jules a loooooooot of credit and Shadow wasn’t entirely convinced the Jolly King was as “wise” as some thought him to be. People that perpetually happy just weren’t real -and if they were, they were awfully ignorant of all the horrors life had to offer. At least, in Shadow’s humble (and jaded af) opinion.

The blue male inhaled, and realized he had somehow made it a bit about himself- this wasn't about him, this was about Maria's passing. Sonic didn't remember too much of Maria, but from what he could, she was warm, and kind, and he enjoyed her company immensely.

Which left- the fact that he had made this about himself, well, now he had to somehow fix that too. He felt his ear getting tugged gently, a slight and barely perceptible exhale leaving as the needle went inwards again through the delicate appendage. Before Shadow had finished, letting him know, Sonic wanted to say something, so he tried to get up, finding his footing and backing up slowly before untangling himself a bit unsightly from the desk, he stood up and faced the captain and nodded. 

"I am so appreciative of your efforts and what you have done for my family, I'm glad you're here with us, and I don't think that you were ever anywhere near as incapable as you might think. You've always been loyal, and you've been there for my dad and my mom and, well, all of the Kingdom since you've come here. You're .... different and unique in a way that no one else is, and I don't mean that as a load of hot air people blow just to make someone who isn't excelling feel like they are- you are different - I always felt like you were particularly irreplaceable. 

Sonic's ear was looking really good, and so was he, full of determination and vigor, despite being red as a tomato from the alcohol.   
"I know you can't promise anything, but I don't want you to be distant from me because of some professional concern, or some need to create a divide because of your position. It hasn't made either of us any stronger and it feels unnecessary, you shouldn't ever question whether or not you are good enough Shadow, the answer is yes, yes you are, and you will always be. You weren't taken in because you didn't belong, you were taken in because you were always seen as a equal, that's how I see most everyone, and I don't want you to feel like there's a divide because you're enforcing it in a way that creates a lot of weakness in our relationship and that's not what you or I need. If I thought you weren't capable, if Jules thought that, if ANYONE thought that- you wouldn't be here- I need you." 

He raised his hand towards his head and tilted it a bit, looking down with a sense of disorientation- 

"Especially lately...I need someone more than I thought I would ever need anyone, and I almost went to you long before any of this happened but I didn't....because I felt like you .... well nevermind all that- but I kept my distance when I needed you" 

Sonic exhaled- 

"I kept my distance for a long time when I needed you the most because of the way you've been handling things, do I have to keep doing that?"   
He locked eyes with Shadow, as if genuinely asking. 

"Because I need someone, and you're the first person I thought of, you're always the first person I think of. just wish you had opened up and talked to me, because I would have told you how I felt then and I could have helped you..." 

He gestured gently and folded his arms and cocked one hip with a stern frown. 

He had no idea the magnitude of the situation, had no idea what was actually happening with Shadow, but he did know one thing and one thing that was very important- he knew he was RIGHT.

“You always were the stubborn one…” Shadow mumbled under his breath, shaking his head as he started putting away the supplies. The servants could have done it but he really needed the distraction from all the things Sonic was saying -offering, even. It was so much bigger than he thought and so much more difficult to deal with than he could possibly know. Sonic’s naivety was both a blessing and a curse. For everyone.

“I will work on it.” He spoke a little louder so the princeling could hear him this time. It wasn’t much of a promise but it was something he could actually managed without outright lying. 

Sonic said he needed him but… did he really? Was that really what Sonic NEEDED or what Sonic WANTED. Sonic needed his family and the support of his loved ones. Sonic needed training and education and the basic life necessities. Sonic didn’t NEED Shadow. He never did, which it was how it was so easy to vanish when he did.  
“I’m not certain how I can help you with your anxiety but I will endeavour to find a solution or a method to deal with the negative effects.” He really did want to fix the prince -he just didn’t know HOW.

The rest of the words Sonic had spoken warmed him from the inside out. Like hot cider on a cold day, it danced along his insides and ane practically glow with the warm fuzzies it created. 

“We should get you cleaned up and into bed. Your head will not thank you for staying up any longer than necessary tonight.”

Sonic blinked at being called stubborn- 

"You say that-" 

One lid fell halfway down as he cocked his head a 

bit-the words "really" written all over his body language. 

"But I think you're way worse than me" 

He took a minute to gather himself-and walked forward-almost immediately colliding into the desk chair he had just gotten out of and doing a little side hop-brushing his thigh as he looked back towards the desk with an incredulous expression- 

"Who moved the chair??"

It was a wonder how he could go from a eloquent heartwarming speech to bumbling straight into furniture in damn near the same moment- when he rounded his waist and stood up straight he puffed out his chest in offense.

Then his eyes widened as he suddenly looked back in shock - turning to pivot facing the desk again- 

"Wait that's my desk???" 

And then he stepped DIRECTLY forward without looking and walked DIRECTLY into Shadow

Sonic was stepping forward so abruptly that when he collided with Shadow it held a confident inertia to it-SOMEONE thought he knew where he was going.   
Until he got there- 

Shadow had to catch the movements in a timely enough manner so that they both didn't get hurt-Sonic of course being no help at all since his movements were slurred thanks to the alcohol he had ingested- 

Sonic's right leg ended up somewhere in between Shadow's legs-his arms snapping so that he elbowed Shadow roughly at the same time he ran into him from the pivot- the whole thing was a mess but neither of them fell no thanks to Sonic.

Instead - Shadow landed on the bed and Sonic slid to a gentle landing- right between Shadow's legs- his bewildered little face popping up near Shadow's crotch- one of his ears sliding back as the other twitched, and then held still due to the stitching. Green eyes hidden behind HUGE dilated pupils. 

He started laughing suddenly- breaking out into a genuine form of laughter that was maddeningly charming granted their circumstance.

There was a breath of space in which Shadow just stared down at Sonic in complete bewilderment of how the hell they ended up like this. Only Sonic. Then, of course, his traitorous mind caught on the fact that Sonic was looking between his thick eyelashes up at Shadow, laughter playing on his slick lips. His eyes were hooded from alcohol but it was just. So. damn. EASY. to imagine that same look was triggered by lust instead of booze. The knight swallowed hard and froze. As if he sat perfectly straight (hah) and perfectly still, everything would go back to normal.

When it didn’t and Sonic made the tiniest of movements towards Shadow instead of instantly scrambling away, his inner world imploded. A not-quite-a-noise clawed its way out of his throat as his face turned rose red. Hell, he looked redder than Sonic and he hadn’t even touched the booze. That heat spread out to the tips of his ears which were visible without his usual helmet and crawled down to (apparently) the tips of his toes because his feet were the next thing to move. Shadow was fast -everyone knew that - but no one knew just HOW fast he really was until one minute he was sitting on the bed and the next he was plastered against the fall wall next to the door.

How the fuck-

-DIDN’T MATTER.

Sonic had tripped dangerously close to “porn fantasy” in Shadow’s eyes and he couldn’t trust himself anywhere near the blue blur without doing something incredibly stupid. The Captain was breathing in puffs and blinding reaching for the door at the same time -and Sonic thought he was the only one who could have panic attacks.  
“You should crawl into bed-” The other started, clearing his throat to pull it back down from the high tones of panic it had reached. “- to sleep. You’re going to want to sleep,” he gestured vaguely at Sonic and the bed. “Least you get a… hangover or… something.” 

Shadow didn’t panic over stupid little things and he certainly DIDN’T get hard over the same stupid little things. While he was at it: Shadow also didn’t blush, curse, sleep or breathe oxygen. So there.

“I’ll fetch you some drinking water so get to bed.” The dark male whirled around, threw open the door and walked (feld) out of the room. He wasn’t running, per se, he was just moving quickly to get more supplies for Sonic. Yeah. That was it. 

Fuck everything.

Sonic was in the midst of a fit of chuckles amused at himself and the predicament he was in. Wasn't the placement something else? 

When Suddenly he looked up, the corners of his mouth tugging with mirth as he watched Shadow from his vantage point- which had a lot of 'Shadow' in it. 

"Sh---" 

He felt himself blink, as Shadow's face turned a specific shade of red he had never seen in his life, in fact, had thought maybe Shadow wasn't even capable of? Because his skin was so dark? His eyes dragged upwards and beneath the ear, where it was also red- wait- was he - 

Gone- he was gone 

Leaving wind in his wake, Sonic's hand was rising- because he was going to put his hand right on his crotch- because, something about that face, made him want to- a thing he didn't quite understand, and with Shadow gone, it jump "thunk" 

Against oak bed frame-Sonic's quills twitching as he turned his waist sideways and twisted to look back towards the darker male who had - escaped??? 

Escaped was the right word indeed- Sonic had been ready to prey on him- not even sure exactly what he was going to do with him, but he was going to do SOMETHING alright, maybe molest him or - or something like that- just a feral urge that made his quills flex before they fell flat as his lips quipped, smiling at Shadow in such a knowing way.   
He watched the Captain stumble over his own words, choosing to say sleep twice, Shadow wasn't redundant, had never been redundant, had never blushed, had never ran away, had never needed to --- run out the door. 

Ohhhhhhh this was going to be fun. 

A lot of stuff made a lot more sense now, not everything, but some things, some things that Sonic was now humoring that he didn't think could even be plausible. 

Did the older male harbor feelings? 

If not- he was astoundingly shy in bed. 

The blue blur turned his head away, a patch work plan formulating within his foggy mind- something to really confirm his suspicions. He swiftly got to work, struggling to take off his shoes, one glove already off, shirking the other of its duties with his teeth, and tossing his shoes and socks away- he crawled on top of the gorgeous red comforter, and turned gently onto his back, raising his arms over his head and spreading his legs just enough to taunt, but not enough to decorate himself as a whore. 

If there was one thing Sonic knew how to do, it was showing off. He was a flashy character to say the least, and his mischievous little mind had decided the effort was well worth the payoff. 

When Shadow returned, Sonic was vulnerable, stripped of all his clothing- atop the sheets, his mouth slightly opened, a blush plastered all over his cheeks and up his ears, his hands resting near his face, his palms upward and opened, knees turned inwards almost playfully as his tail fluffed up just underneath his crotch, accenting everything and drawing ALL the attention straight to it. 

If Shadow did have a crush- Sonic was going to pursue it, with vigor, and capture him. He hadn't considered the other male until he had seen that reaction just now, but the way he had shuddered within Shadow's grip during training now all made sense. 

Sonic was new to a lot of things, but he wasn't dumb. Not about his own body, and not about his own romantic inclinations. In fact, he learned quite quickly- as Shadow was currently witnessing.

Shadow took longer than was strictly necessary in fetching a pitcher of water and a glass. Honestly, he could have just asked a servant to deliver these things to the prince but Sonic has specifically said he didn’t want anyone else to see. It wasn’t Sonic’s fault that Shadow clearly couldn’t handle himself appropriately in close proximity. He mentally swore at himself as he shuffled around the staff kitchen. For fucks sake. How on earth was he going to TRAIN the damn brat if he couldn’t even handle seeing his face that close to his… 

“Shit.” the pump overflowed the jug and water splashed towards the floor and onto his feet. Now he was going to have to deal with wet socks until he got back to his room. See? This is exactly why he needed to not be so distracted over stupid little things. Or big blue things. Whatever.

Brushing stray droplets of water off his pants, Shadow took in a deep breath and willed himself to chill the fuck out. This… infatuation… had reached ridiculous levels of unacceptable and he WAS going to get a handle on it if it was the last thing he did. Because this wasn’t him. It wasn’t what he stood for. It wasn’t what he wanted. He wasn’t weak to feelings, he was Shadow the Fucking Hedgehog, Captain of the guard and most loyal subject to King Jules. He was… in control.

Feeling calmer already, the knight made his way back up the servant’s halls towards the Prince’s room. He had enough time to school his face into something purely neutral before he knocked on the door and entered after a small stretch of silence. His guess was that Sonic had passed out in his absence, his guess was NOT that Sonic would be splayed across his sheets like a wanton whore.

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

The door quietly clicked shut behind him and Shadow swallowed. Hard.

Was Sonic trying to KILL HIM?!

The older male only froze a second before looking towards the ceiling, willing his cheeks not to burn so brightly. “Sonic.” His voice was a warning, “Get under the damn covers before you freeze to death.” Or give Shadow a heart attack. The latter being more likely than the former.

Moving towards the little nightstand next to the bed without looking at the fucking open invitation before him, he set the pitcher and glass down carefully. How he had gotten to the nightstand without shattering was really a testament to his amazing self control.

“Drink this entire pitcher before you sleep or else you will wake up with a searing headache and I won’t feel sorry for you.”

That was a lie. He’d totally feel sorry about it since HE was the one who got Sonic drunk but Sonic didn’t need to know that. Just like he didn’t need to know why Shadow couldn’t fucking look at him even a little.

Sonic grinned to himself in a smug manner the moment Shadow's eyes swiftly leaped towards the ceiling- his "warning tone" not even gracing him with a shiver - instead- he said in a breathy voice- "Shadow, i'm so thirsty, and I -" 

he hitched a short moan, tracing upwards an octave higher than his usual pitch, suppressing a snicker near the end. 

"I'm really~"

He made a show of turning on his side to press his right hand to the headboard, drawing himself upwards to press his face into the red curtains that were above his bed like he was dizzy or disoriented- but he was not nearly as much as he was getting on his knees and stretching in a VERY specific position. 

He pawed the curtains, his tail flicking, on his knees, being sure to reveal ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING leaving NOTHING up to the imagination, presenting so blatantly that the older male could even make out the slight variations in color beneath the underside of his tail, to to mention his taint which was painted a powder blue, very distinct and very VERY pointedly lined up with....a sensitive area-screaming attention towards a specific spot Shadow had wasted a bit of time imagining. 

Some things looked better in your imagination, and some things definitly had more grace to them in real time. 

One of those things being Sonic, right now, at this exact moment, without even a second thought or even slight regret in his mind. 

"Mmnnnnnhhh~~~~feels so good~~~~~Shadow? Everything feels so good I wanna feel everything"

He began purring, a sound Shadow hadn't heard in a LONG time, deeper and richer than he remembered. 

Sonic was biting his tongue from laughing. 

This was more fun than he expected it to be.

Shadow stood like one of the old statues in the halls. He didn’t blink -didn’t move or even dare to breathe until the sound of a rumbling purr reached his ears. It was like a tiny memory shocking his brain to life as he convinced his body to take action. Sonic hadn’t purred at anyone since he was a tiny pup. It was cute then and it would have been cute now if the other hedgehog wasn’t deliberately making it sexual. And, yes, Shadow could tell when Sonic was doing something on purpose. 

What he couldn’t tell was if Sonic was being sincere about his come-on which (holycrapfuckingwhat) was a little beyond him at this moment, or if he was teasing the other. Knowing the blue hedgehog the way Shadow did, he assumed the latter and his face took on a very “unamused” expression.

Shaking off the nerves that had turned him stone, the Captain walked closer to the bed and stared down at the hot mess of teasing drunk prince. This sort of thing was going to make him go grey way before his time. Shadow reached down, grabbing a handful of blankets and yanked them up and over the prince.

“I said get under the covers before you get sick.” The words had a bit of edge to them but they were mostly formed through the tones of a deep sigh. It was just… way too late to be dealing with this nonsense. “I will see you in the morning. Go. To. Sleep.” 

And with that he was walking away, not bothering to give Sonic a second glance back. Honestly, he could chalk this entire night up to stupid drunk shenanigans and be done with it. In the morning things would be better. Shadow open and closed the heavy bedroom door behind himself, taking a deep breath the moment he was in the hall and free from prying eyes. In the morning, everything would go back normal. And normal was exactly what he needed right now.

Sonic blinked and sat back looking at the door after it closed. 

Dammit. 

He liked him but he was too lazy to do anything about it? That WASN'T fun. 

Probably got his head stuck in some bullshit about loyalty and professionalism or whatever. Sonic sniffed at the door in irritation. 

Not fair. 

He was pretty AND hot who didn't want him?? 

The rejection stung his whole body and made him feel way more sober than he could have imagined possible. 

Nothing just nothing. NOTHING 

Sonic stumbled up off the bed and opened the door, looking down the hallway- Shadow already gone. 

He sighed and closed the door grumbling about cowards and the bitterness creeped all the way through his spine as he folded his arms and walked towards the pitcher of water, drinking some before he crawled into bed and huffed into he blankets. 

Why couldn't he ever get his way with Shadow? FIrst it was a year of being left by himself because of Maria's death which while understandable also wasn't understandable at all.   
The way Shadow said it didn't make sense, wouldn't people want to be CLOSER the the ones they love after losing someone? 

Maybe that was it... maybe Shadow didn't want to be close to anyone anymore for fear of that loss. 

What a stupid fucking idea. 

PTSD was dumb, Shadow was dumb, everything was dumb. 

Shadow couldn't help him, no one could but himself, and he had to just ignore everything else until then. 

If he got better, WHICH HE WOULD, he would just go on with his life. 

He didn't even NEED a mate!!!!! 

He could do EVERYTHING on his own. 

He had to continue the line but he could just have a concubine for that- if LIKING someone felt like THIS then he had had ENOUGH of that.

Maybe he was just wrong about this whole thing either way, and in that case, then he had just made a huge fool of himself. 

Nobody cared. 

Not about him, not like that. 

Or maybe if people did, they certaintly weren't Shadow. They weren't tall, dark, handsome, smelt amazing, LOOKED amazing, USED to be nice...used to being the operative word.   
He kneaded the pillow next to him in ache over his predicament. Being close to Shadow hurt? Maybe he could just be friends? No one else was going to ever live up to what he imagined Shadow to be ideally as, and ironically enough, not even Shadow did. 

It wasn't much of a difference, just the kindness he used to know would be enough, but Shadow wasn't going to do any of that... not anymore and not ever again.   
Maybe he just needed a new trainer? 

Someone who was just as proficient, just as good with the blade? Maybe Shadow's second in command Infinite? 

Or Knuckles? 

Knuckles was just as good, though he wasn't nearly as fast, but INFINITE was as fast as Sonic... maybe he could just ask to be switched when Jules got back...or even before.   
Although he somehow doubted anyone wanted to train him it seemed at this current moment like NO ONE wanted him. 

Was he just really drunk or? 

And suddenly with that, everything went dark.


	3. Place Your Bets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all comes full circle when our red and black Knight slips up.

The next morning the door knocked, quite a few times, before Sonic woke up and sat up in bed- everything blurry, his fur stuck to itself wildly, a shoddy shake given to try to get everything back in line. He licked his lips with a dead sniff. 

He pushed out of bed and mumbled - "coming" 

Getting his shoes, and gloves on, and taking something for his morning breath and cleaning his teeth, he fixed all his fur and headed out. 

When he opened the door he saw Shadow- standing a bit away and looking off to the side patiently. He stepped out of the door and made his way towards Shadow, stopping in front of him - rushing out a whispered and fierce announement- his face flashing red.

"I am romantically involved with you, I think I love you- no, I don't think, I know, and I know you don't want me, or that- so I should probably train with Infinite from now on."  
He didn't hold any punches, he didn't want to expose Shadow to something that clearly made him uncomfortable, something he clearly didn't want, and he didn't want to push it. It was not going to happen and if it was going to happen it probably would have by now. 

"I'm sorry about all this, I shouldn't have involved you in any of it, I will take care of myself, thank you for the help yesterday though."

And with that, before Shadow could even process or open his mouth, Sonic was gone, not only just walking away, but turning to run away. 

The quicker he cut it all short, the better.

Shadow, once more, found himself standing in the hall like an idiot staring at the empty space where Sonic used to be. What. The. Fuck. It was like he couldn’t go 24 hours in Sonic’s presence without something going terribly awry. Did he just fucking confess to him then run away?

Slowly, crimson eyes tracked the path the other had taken and vanished off to. Yup. He sure as hell did. With his mind busy processing all the information thrown at him, Shadow’s body numbly moved down the hall after his charge. Where had this even come from? Shadow had been so sure that Sonic was teasing him last night but given his reaction this morning… well, it was evident he had been more than a little serious. Fuck.

Upon reaching the stone entrance to the training grounds, the rest of what Sonic had said finally sunk in. He… was going to have Infinite train him? Oh… no. No that was not happening. Not over his fucking dead body because while Shadow may have been many things, he was not completely selfless. Especially when it came to Sonic and who was allowed to train him. 

Shadow had seen the lingering glances Infinite had given the young prince and while he may have been younger than Shadow, that didn’t make it any more appropriate. Read: If Shadow wasn’t allowed to touch the prince, neither was anyone else in his command. And, yes, that may have been incredibly selfish but what-the-fuck-ever. He was Captain and Jules and picked HIM to train Sonic. 

Spotting his charge across the field talking to the very knight in question, Shadow could see the line of his shoulders become rigid the longer they spoke. Or was it: the closer Shadow got? Either way, by the time the Captain reached the two, Infinite was stiff as a bored and side eyeing Shadow like he had just stepped on his favorite toy by mistake.  
“Infinite.” the darker male greeted.

“Captain.” The other choked out, doing a poor impression of someone trying to act cool. “His majesty was just telling me about his training.”

“Ah yes.” Shadow nodded, staring at Sonic instead of the man he was speaking to. “His training which is due to commence in the next minute. So if you’ll excuse us, we have work to do.” 

The jackal made some hurried throw-away comment as he retreated and left the other two to speak in private. Yeah. Shadow didn’t even feel a little bad about scaring off his knight. Everyone knew better than to try and get between the Captain and his charges. Once Infinite was out of hearing range, Shadow cleared his throat and squared his body to Sonic’s so he could meet the other eye to eye.

“In spite of what you may think, I accepted you as my student and I will NOT have another taking over just because you have some strange preconceived notion of what I do or do not feel.” His voice was stern but not cold, a firm way of explaining something. 

“Rest assure, if I was uncomfortable or upset with you in any measure, I would handle it directly. As it stands, I care for you deeply and we are ten minutes late to start practice so you should get your weapon and start your exercises.”

Wait… did he just…? Ah shit biscuits, he hadn’t actually meant for that to come out. Well... that just happened.

Sonic flinched visibly as Shadow spoke, then turned to face him, as he continued to talk until Infinite was basically on the horizon. 

The blue male's ears twitched as he listened attentively, though he flinched again as he twitched and raised his hand to his ear, gently touching it- in midst Shadow's speech-before his face lowered towards the ground as he looked incredibly forlorn. 

The poor thing looked so dejected, his entire body reeked of it, when Sonic was down, it was so pliant that you could practically tangibly touch it.   
"I know you care about me Shadow-" 

Oh - he did NOT get it. 

He had NOT read into what Shadow had said at ALL.

"I know you care about me, and I'll go get my things, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I made everything really awkward... I just-i ...I .. I'll uh---I'll do --go---uh" 

God dammit!

"I .... I didn't mean to cause you discomfort last night- or anything, ok?" 

He looked up earnestly- the poor thing looked like he was gonna vomit EVERYWHERE.

It took all of Shadow’s willpower not to reach out and just shake some sense into Sonic. Instead, he lifted one hand and ran it down his face, exhaling slowly as he did so. For the love of all that was good and holy, how in the fuck was Sonic not getting it?

“Things aren’t awkward.” He dropped his hand and looked to the sky for assistance. Maybe some divine intervention? A lightning strike to the head? Something? “Look…” He cleared his throat and leveled Sonic with a look that said “listen to me” on no uncertain terms.

“I-” He cleared his throat, “May have a slight romantic inclination towards…” he dropped his voice, “you.” It was like pulling fucking teeth to get him to admit such a thing but gawddamnit SOMETHING had to be done so Sonic could stop looking so.. Helpless? Forlorn? Something.

“Now,” He straightened upright again, standing just as tall and proud as he had yesterday, “Go get your sword and training equipment. If you want to talk about… extra curricular emotions then we…” Shadow looked a little like he wanted to die from mortification, “... can do so after practice tonight.” Honestly, TALKING about FEELINGS was the last damn thing he wanted to do but… Sonic. So…

Those green emeralds seem to shine brighter than ever before as his eyes widened to the size of an entire government budget. 

What.

The captain just stared back and him and Sonic felt like screaming something out loud- something akin to "YESYEYESYES" Because yes??? 

But also .... something had been lost in translation last night then? Either way- Mr. Stoic was OFFERING TO TALK ABOUT IT? 

Sonic's throat plugged up as he opened his mouth in utter shock- what? 

Then he relaxed, gravity dragging his hands downwards as he nearly dropped calibern, unbelievable. Then why had he left? 

Sonic was sure he had read him completely backwards, had somehow been completely wrong, an was CERTAIN he couldn't be near this exotic, handsome, unatainable person now. 

Not with his heartstrings and his inclinations physically tugging him along - not when he was aware and certaintly not when the darker male himself was disturbed by his actions. 

So he wasn't rejected, the darker male had ran from him. That was an entirely different story... 

Maybe if he slowed down- maybe figured out what was going on, what made the older male so skittish- maybe it was the age difference, his position? The fact Sonic was royalty? Sonic was stunned suddenly that he hadn't even considered all the reasons why Shadow would have taken off like a jet pack had been granted to him. 

"Ok" 

He barely managed-standing straight, his body loose and relaxed. It was like a mammoth had been torn from his shoulders. 

"You know Shadow, you're really something" 

He cocked his head and grinned. 

"you really are-" 

He then turned, pulling Calibern up- "I'll see you at practice" 

\--

Training was easy in comparison to day one. Both of them almost had a - sort of equilibrium down. 

It felt more centered, more enjoyable, there wasn't any tension or fear, just- a focused attention, knowing how to follow orders, and respond abruptly. 

It was so much easier this way, and it was a thrill, the edges of his senses knowing he was being admired, knowing he was not rejected, and knowing he was adored. 

He wanted to do well, wanted to please, wanted to get praise, and when he got it, he excelled even more. 

"Alright- I think we're done for today- " Shadow interrupted, as Sonic puffed, lost in thought, lowering Calibern and then raising his eyes with a nod as he caught his breath.   
"Riding me hard-" He commented- then blinked, and snorted, he hadn't meant it like that, but it wasn't like there was much he could do now since it was already out there. 

"I wanna talk, if - you're up to it- that is." 

Sonic didn't want to talk really he wanted to keep pleasing, he wanted things that he knew he had no reasonable explanation, all revolving around red and black and a sense of belonging. 

The two of them walked, making their way out of the barracks, and through the batallion, Sonic shaking his head once as he thought of all the things he wanted to say- mumbling the first out incredulously- 

"So what I did last night- I really meant all of it- well" 

He threw his hand out with a short laugh- 

"I didn't mean to knock you over-but the rest- that was all me." 

His quills were jumping as he walked, before he turned his head towards his companion- the definition of payful- 

"Why'd you leave? Did I scare you?"

Shadow had not gone easy on Sonic today, partially because it was therapeutic NOT to and partially because he needed to maintain some kind of professionalism at the moment. Going easy on the Prince just because he was the Prince was anything but professional. So the day went by exactly how it should have and by the end, he was sore but at ease. At ease enough that he startled fractionally -just the slightest surprise twitch of the ears -when Sonic brought up last night without any warning. 

“Last night,” He hummed, eyes fixed on a spot down the hall as a neutral expression overcame him. “You were drunk.” As if that said anything.

One quick glance towards Sonic said it didn’t explain -anything- because the blue blur was staring at him with a single raised brow that said: Wut? -grammatically incorrect and all. Shadow felt his hand rubbing at the back of his own neck before he even realized he had moved. It was a nervous gesture left over from childhood that he occasionally displayed, in spite of how much he tried to stamp out the nervous trait.

He tried again, “Decisions are greatly impaired when one is under the influence of such strong spirits. Doing anything to someone who was as impaired as you were would be criminal at best.” This was true, albeit a bit of an excuse but true nonetheless. 

After they reached the hall of the private quarters, he continued. “It is also inappropriate for someone of my age and status to pursue someone like…” He side glanced his charge. “You.” The ‘You’ meant Sonic’s age, his status as royalty and every other aspect of Sonic that made him who he was. Loosely explained: Shadow was saying he wasn’t worthy, which… wow. Go figure.

Sonic snorted and immediately laughed and raised his hands in a flamboyant gesture that was entirely reminiscent of a shrug- a really tremendous one at that.   
He threw up a finger as he wagged it at Shadow playfully. 

"So it's up to you you to decide what's appropriate for me now huh?" 

He folded his arms over his chest and his ridges narrowed. 

"Yanno? That would make sense if I was a table or a chair or something? But you do know I have feelings too right?" 

He shrugged again as he shook his head.

The older male barely managed to not roll his eyes at the commentary. “I’m aware you have feelings.” Shadow sighed deeply as they finally reached Sonic’s quarters. “However, I am equally aware that, as the adult in this situation, it’s my responsibility to make sure everything remains... appropriate.” 

Looking towards Sonic’s bedroom door he found that small frown tugging at the corners of his lips. “Especially when one of us is underage.” And that was probably way more than he wanted to give away. It mean that Shadow had had feelings for Sonic for longer than anyone could have expected. At least three to four years, if not longer -all things considered.

“So..” The knight pressed on, not wanting to delve into the past too deeply, “I chose to put some distance between us and the practice became habit. This includes you coming onto me when you can barely see your own hand.” He squared Sonic with a wry look, somewhat amused but mostly pointed to ensure the other knew he was very serious about this. Shadow had some firm boundaries that extended to everyone around him but especially to those he cared about.

“That and your father is the King and my Boss, so there is that.” Jules was also kind of Shadows adopted parent but he figured the less he thought about that, the better. It would only serve to make things even more awkward than they already were.

“At any rate.” He cleared his throat again, “Shower and get ready for dinner. I’ll see you in the dining hall in an hour.” And that meant Sonic was dismissed.

Sonic faced Shadow, opening his mouth and the older male could FEEL him about to disagree, it was tangible and very volatile- but as the deep voice bowled over him, his mouth slowly thinned out in clear dissapproval. 

He pointed at the other male, seemingly pointed, and then threw his hands up and sighed in defeat. Dropping them down, realizing that Shadow had just ... ordered him and his feelings away. 

It's not that Shadow didn't care, it's that he just didn't seem to recognize that Sonic had a role in this too, that he wasn't just here to pine after and that all of the things Shadow pointed out as reasons not to continue on, not to even try, just to give up, to keep things appropriate? Well... Sonic wasn't sure that made a whole lot of sense to him.   
But Shadow didn't seem to want to hear how Sonic felt about this, and he had spent years not bothering to tell him, and now that he had a chance to hear, he just explained and ordered him off.

"Ok?" 

He closed his eyes halfway, staring at Shadow, who was NOT going to ask him how he felt, didn't even seemingly consider it. Ok? 

Ok.

A short groan, that sounded like the actual lieral tangible incantation of "giving up" left him, before he just walked past Shadow, opening up his door- 

"Seeya then-" He pressed out- a sigh leaving him as he closed the door behind him. 

He rubbed his right arm on the inside of the room and stepped across it, recognizing now how his station could be a real pain in his backside, not that it wasn't from time to time, but he always felt really like he should be grateful of his status, and for once in his life, he really just wished he could have been a pauper. 

He washed up, in his own shower, using a bucket and the earliest forms of plumbing available, the water warm, but he felt cold inside. 

There was really no way to get across how much none of that stuff mattered to him other than telling Shadow he loved him- and yet, well... obviously it wasn't going to change anything. 

Making his way across the room with a towel on, he rubbed it across his fur, throwing himself onto his bed, thinking about his predicament, about how it made him feel.   
Not good. 

Definitely not a good feeling. 

He would have wanted to say or tell Shadow to give them both what they wanted, but he knew that nothing he said would be taken at face value for what it was worth- even if he felt like he was an adult, even if he PHYSICALLY WAS an adult, for some time now, it didn't matter. 

Shadow would always see him as a child, there was no changing anything, a child and a royal and out of his reach and his station and Sonic didn't even know how to fix that, or even if it was broken. 

He didn't see a way to approach the other male without disrespecting his very obvious wishes, without being weird or creepy, knowing that it wasn't him even that wasn't wanted, but the things that surrounded him that made him unreachable that was the problem just really caused an emotional sense of loss before Sonic had even tried.   
He didn't want to be pushy, or anything like that, but there was no way to get the darker male to see how much this all just felt moot as hell to him. 

Without being rude, without disregarding the other's feelings. 

When he came out to dinner, he noticed Shadow right away, seated nearby Infinite, and one other knight, he stepped closer, siting down with his own food, and he smoothly said- 

"I figured this seat wasn't taken." 

He began to eat, not bothering to say anything, focusing on his meal. The taste was great, stopping to eat individual pieces of potato. 

He wiped his face, not bringing anything up, but some part of him realized-

"Why's it so quiet?" 

He said through a mouthful- yeah - it had fallen dead silent since he sat down, for a few reasons. 

Sonic usually tended to eat in his room, or with Tails, but also? Sonic was sitting in a place that wasn't a place he had ever been- and a lot of the knights were entirely too aware of his presence. 

"You guys never eat dinner together before or something?" 

"No it's not that- its that we don't often eat dinner with such a highly esteemed guest-" 

Infinite interjected- as Sonic rubbed his palm to his lips as he chewed- before he sent a wink in Infinite's direction. 

"Guess today is different then."

Shadow huffed a little but that sound wasn’t clearly a laugh or a sound of disapproval but kind of a surprised noise he made behind his napkin. Sonic would be Sonic and the damn hedgehog would do exactly as he pleased but… really? As the prince spoke, he grinned at everyone, flashing that brilliant smile with an easy tone and a smooth wink. Wait… did he just wink at Infinite? What the fuck…

The captain scowled, attempting not to show his displeasure at the obvious flirting but it resonated anyway. Not enough to set off alarm bells for everyone but enough to make Infinite rather… uncomfortable. Poor guy. How did he always manage to find himself stuck between whatever it was that Shadow and Sonic had going on? It wasn’t a great place to be and telling by the way the other man sunk in his chair, he wasn’t excited to be there.

“There are class laws and rules which do not permit us to sit and eat with his highness.” Shadow clarified, “Typically, that is.” He put down his napkin and looked at Sonic with a small shake of the head but a slightly fond look in his eyes. It was pretty much how Shadow often looked at his charge.

“Of course, his majesty isn’t the most keen on following class laws or station rules.” The Captain continued, easing back in his chair with a goblet of wine that he lifted into the air with one hand -as if to toast the indescretion happening before him. “And seeing as how our beloved King never sees fit to chastise the Prince over such things, you can all relax.” 

Meaning: act normal but, for the love of god, don’t embarrass me infront of royalty. Lucky for Shadow, his knights were rather adept at picking up on subtle cues such as these.

“To training.” The older hedgehog raised his glass higher in a toast before taking a long drink of wine. He had a feeling he was going to need it.  
"To not sleeping in any longer -yhaaaaay" 

He felt a grin strike him either way-the knight next to him mentioning- "I thought royalty never slept?" 

"You know don't let anyone fool you into thinking were gods-my good looks are just genetics-totally unrelated to the crown" 

With a simple wrist flick the blue hedgehog grinned playfully as he sarcastically quipped- "last I checked I was significantly normal in comparison to everyone else" 

With that, he took another large bite of his biscuit, as Infinite chuckled, Knuckles sitting down heavily diagonally from Sonic, had a closer relationship with the male, something Shadow would find out in three, two, 

"Who invited the spoiled brat to the table, next thing you know we're going to be sacrificing lambs" 

"Not on my watch good sir" 

Sonic bowed accordingly-his voice rife with a aristocratic accent of his own making. 

He threw his hands over his plate with a pained huff "though your remarkable lack of sides is appalling-and exactly WHERE is your second third and FOURTH fork-those are absolutely necessary in order to rank above barbaric" 

His accent thicker than ever, gave a round of snickers across the table as he leaned back and chuckled towards Knuckles amicably.

"Nice one blue-been a while since your tail found the meal hall, thought you got lost-or did Shadow steal the hall pass?" 

"Tutututut-where are your manners? It's "sir fluffers" who has the hall pass" 

They both lost it.

Shadow was not amused. 

Sir Fluffers? Really? The captain dragged a hand down his face again, for the second time that evening, and looked at the laughing idiots from between his fingers. Sonic and Knuckles knew each other? Of course they knew each other. If Shadow ever took a minute to think about it, their personalities lined up in exactly the right dumbass sort of way for them to get along. This was going to be a long dinner, he could tell.

“I will not dignify that name with a response.” He sniffed at them, stabbing his steak with a fork as he began to cut at it a little more aggressively than he meant to. Whatever. It’s not like he was jealous or anything. Why would he be? Just because Sonic had become close to someone else without Shadow ever knowing about it wasn’t reason for him to be jealous. At. the. Fuck. all. 

The oldest hedgehog pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. What the hell was wrong with him today? He had been so out of character these last few days and his already short fuse had gotten even shorter. It was like… he was going into a cycle? But that wasn’t supposed to happen for at least two more months and his rut cycles had always been consistent so that couldn’t be it.

Maybe it was just being around Sonic so actively again. He hadn’t spent this much consecutive time with the blue hedgehog since they were young. Back when everything was simple and all he had to worry about was keeping Sonic from getting hurt and making sure not to track mud in the halls of the castle. The memory of them splashing in puddles together brought a small smile to lips and his ear twitched in amusement, eyes glazed over in that far-away sort of expression.

“Sir?” Infinite asked carefully, peering at his captain from around his cup. “You alright?”

Any expression the black hedgehog had evaporated into the abyss and he merely blinked at his knight with a bland expression. “Quite.” The knights didn’t need to know anything about his personal life and he would maintain that distance for as long as he possibly could. Have relationships with people complicated matters and made everything so much harder to deal with when you eventually lost them. And Shadow was prone to losing everyone.

"Awww what's wrong Sir-fluffa-lot" 

Sonic threw his hands up playfully-his left ear laying down against his head as his right attempted- 

Knuckles snorted in response- 

"Watch it Sonic or you'll be-" 

"On the business end of a fissy-hit" 

"Isn't it hissy-fit?" 

"Naw because then it would be sir "huff-salot" 

Knuckles took a minute as Sonic waited- 

"Did you just switch h with f?" 

"Bingo" 

Sonic folded his legs beneath the table, a gesture that suited him quite nicely-accenting everything about him everyone enjoyed. 

Knuckles snorted-"you're really low on jokes" 

"Yea I heard you come in short supply" 

"Haaaa-ha-ha" 

Knuckles began to tear into his food with the spirit of a full blown boar as Sonic glided his gauntlet beneath his muzzle side eyeing Shadow with hooded lids. His tail playfully twitching as he slowly reoriented back his attention on Shadow-

"How about "tall-dark-and-humorless?" 

All the Knights were looking sideways from their food-before seeing Shadows expression, one shade off from deadly. 

"I've got it!" 

Sonic snapped his fingers- 

"Sir Grumperson!" 

He pulled up a drumstick and pointed it at Shadow- 

"Everyone's favorite local grump"

There was a strangely quiet hush around the mess hall as most eyes turned to stare at Shadow. A person would be dead for saying less to the brooding Captain of the guard. But this was SONIC, crown prince and Shadow’s childhood friend so surely… surely Shadow wouldn’t kill HIM, right? A pin could be heard dropping in the room before rolled his eyes and took a vicious bite of a bread roll.

“Listen up Blue Blunder-” the man spoke after swallowing his mouthful. “You keep up these shenanigans and you’ll be doing twice the workout I have planned for tomorrow.” He was grinning that feral grin which gave NO indication of if he was kidding or deadly serious. Then the Captain cracked a smile and noise flooded back into the mess hall because Shadow wasn’t actually angry and the rest of the knights could tell things were going to be okay.

Idoly some of them began to wonder if having Sonic around more often would actually work in their favor. Shadow’s hard and impervious veneer seemed to slip when the prince was around. As if he had some kind of softening effect on the Captain that seemed to work in everyone’s favor. 

“After all, It’s hard to be a chatterbox when you’re lifting a lot of dead weights all day.” That wicked smirk remained as Shadow casually ate his dinner, not in the least bit perturbed by the teasing. After all, two could play at that game and Shadow had a longer list of terrible nicknames for Sonic than the kid had for him. Life experience and all.

"Mm" 

Sonic shook his head slightly, leaning back a bit as his quills motioned modestly with it- a sour expression on his face that was too theatrical to be real- 

"Is that a challenge I hear? Or do you just like riding your best show pony into the ground just to make an example outta me? I'll have you know I'm-" 

He blew on his glove and then rifled his knuckles into his chest- 

"A pretty tough customer, and I'll buy whatever it is you're selling- sadism included please-after all I've got quite the heap of masochism to go with that order already"   
His fingertips had spiraled over his firm, puffed up chest-his posturing was fucking adorable, just as adorable as that smug grin.

A moments pause before Knuckles snorted loudly- 

"No way-I'm betting twenty rings you're gonna be crying for mercy half way in" 

Sonic's good ear perked up-a split second of deflation hitting him before the table exploded in chatter-

Chatter that sounded like- 

"I'll take that! Only I'll bet he lasts!"

Infinite looked down the table at a red wolf-then back towards Sonic-who's eyes were a bit wide- slack jawed-appearing for a moment to be - what's the word? 

Oh yes

Silent. 

Infinite turned- "ten on the captain-" 

And it happened- all at once the entire battalion was in on a rather spontanious gambling operation. 

Sonic's green eyes slid over to Shadow- who looked unreadable- sonics mouth had gotten him into some predicaments but this was-he realized-he didn't have a way to back out of. 

"Oooooooooooh-" 

His voice box uttered without consent.

Shadow considered chastising the knights on the woes of gambling, especially when making stupid bets, but the crew was having a lot of… fun. It had been a long time since Shadow had heard the men of his garrison laughing so openly (in his presence) and the jovial nature of it caught him a little off guard. After a long moment of consideration, the captain decided that perhaps a lecture was not necessary after all. 

More so when the majority of the money was tilting in HIS favor and the subtle support alone amused the hell out of him. The amusement played out as a tiny sadistic smile uncurling upon his lips as he stared at Sonic with half lowered lids.

“Challenge accepted.” And if his mind wandered in rather.. Nefarious directions, so be it. No one had to know that Shadow’s grin grew according to how many different positions he could imagine the prince “crying for mercy” in. Causally, the Captain took another long pull of his goblet and drained the last of his, wine in one smooth gesture.   
Welp. Clearly the wine was finally getting to him.

“Gentlemen.” The captain stood up and the entire room stood with him, saluting the head of command as he nodded for them to sit down. It was a formality appreciated even if it was entirely unnecessary. “I shall retire for the evening.” Crimson eyes locked onto blue and slightest quirk of his eyebrow suggested Sonic should follow. Not right away, of course, because discretion was necessary with these things but if Sonic wanted to talk, the sooner he made up an excuse to leave, the sooner he could catch Shadow in an openly chatty mood. “Goodnight.”

And with that, the older male was making his way out of the dining hall, which only seemed to get even LOUDER the moment the door closed behind him. Shadow huffed a soft laugh and casually made his way to his own quarters, surprised by how well the evening had turned out.

The generally talkative blue blur himself was finding himself getting into the swing of things as well-Shadow taking the bluff Sonic had offered in humor-now making it the real deal. 

Shit. 

"A-ah you don't have to let them get you all riled up Shads-" His body tensed and then sunk down at a wild proclamation stuffed itself down the masses - 

"Are you kidding? No way I'm in 50 rings on the captain!" 

Sonic leaned forward taking a curious peak at a fox down the table who- 

"TAILS!" 

Sonic chastised from the other side as his best friend turned and waved- not reading into his tone at all- Sonic bitterly folding his arms-the whole room coming to a respectful halt as the Captain announced that he'd had his fill. 

Green eyes double took his expression-an understanding coming between them as he mouthed "sure" a curt nod leaving him as the darker male turned to leave-leaving the prince to easily dine-n-ditch a moment after- 

He talked to Tails for a brief moment-a playful engagement, before he excused himself again- boasting that he had a "long rest ahead to tackle tomorrow!" 

Which resulted in half the table cheering-the other half laughing incredulously- as Sonic folded his arms behind his head and stepped along the halls until he got to the sleeping quarters, heading into his own to take off his gauntlet. He replaced it with a white glove, and put calibern on his mantle, before stepping back out- making a left into the area for higher officials-knocking on Shadow's door.


	4. Giving it All Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I Never UPdate dsafklj I'm pro

It wasn't very long before it was opened-Shadow gesturing for him to make his way inward-which Sonic did-his quills bouncing with his energetic steps-observing the room with some flare of excitement-before seating himself finely on Shadow's bed- recognizing the scent of his own delicious odor was particularly playing with his senses most here-he wanted to just lay in it-his heart race speeding up at just being in this room-   
He folded his legs swiftly, leaning back until he was on the blankets-a sigh of alleviation bracing the air-  
"Mmnnn-"~~  
No part of him understood how he looked like a enticing temptation, or that he SOUNDED like he had been granted a pleasurable thrust in a very virginic area of his body.   
Sometimes he just did him, and it just so happened he WAS all this at once without even meaning to.   
"What's up stripes?" His right eye cracked open.   
"Had more to say?"  
Shadow had walked out of the bathroom attached to his room, rubbing a towel over his ears as he dried them carefully. “On the contrary.” Crimson eyes dilated at the site of his princeling sprawled out on his bed, moaning softly like a wet dream come true. “I thought you were the one who would appreciate the extra time to talk. I didn’t give you much room to do so before dinner.” His smile was slow and small but genuine and it took over his features easily, warming his face in a way that Sonic had probably not seen since they were kids.  
It was moments like these that the prince could tell Shadow still cared. That apart of him from childhood had never left and there was hope under all those layers of ice and stone. Casually, the Captain leaned against the doorway between the bedroom and bathroom as he waited patiently for the other to speak.  
“Unless there is something else you’d rather be doing with this time…?” His smile turned more into a smirk and… wow… that wine was reallllly working its way through his system if Shadow was being THIS open with his emotions. Not that it was 100% clear but for Shadow, it was clear enough.  
Sonic blinked as he sat up gently-unfolding his legs to a position that was far more open and masculine as he did so-watching as the other dried his ears- his fingertips itching to touch them-Sonic had always had a little guilty pleasure in playing gently with others in this manner- if he was allowed.   
He listened- his ears shooting upwards as he was invited to talk, pressing his hands roughly between his legs playfully as he curled one of his ears sideways- and then-   
THAT-   
Oh my god THAT.   
THAT was not a mistake-Shadow had VERY deliberate delivery-to the point where the younger male's face exploded a volcanic crimson that would make a apocalypse jealous, sprouting upwards straight into his ears, the right healing QUITE rapidly due to the Captains nimble fingers-fingers that could sew and mend flesh that could also-   
"Oho- man-"   
His feet pointed inwards as he suddenly flung himself head first into it-   
He wanted to clarify that he didn't care about all of that stuff-   
"I just wanted to say-all that stuff you're worried about-we can work through it-I think so anyways-and I wouldn't ever give up on it-not when I know exactly what I want-which for obvious sake is you-"   
His fingers all over his hips and spreading his legs-his body bound up in pleasure? Yea-he wanted to experience that- especially in experienced hands. As far as Sonic was concerned, their age difference really just was an added bonus for him, having someone seasoned worked out in his favor because with as boisterous and rambunctious as he was by nature, mental maturity and emotional intelligence wise- the blue royal was FAR ahead of his peers. To the point where a lot of their problems had him squinting in rampant disbelief and the other half felt akin to a fever dream.   
They always said and did the dumbest things getting themselves in problems that were self manufactured just to alleviate their own insecurities and boredom.   
As far as the cobalt princling was concerned, he would rather skip all the needless drama, which is why his friends who WERE his age were above their own emotional and mental aptitude, and everyone else was older as well.   
"And - "   
He locked eyes with Shadow- pulling the older male out of his stupor and his insecurities- "before I lose you to all your concerns again-"   
He drew himself off the bed in a fluid hop-graceful like a acrobatic masterpiece-and was within inches of Shadow within moments-  
"There is no shortage of-*activities* I would happily engage in with you"   
He rubbed behind his neck and smiled in a very earnest and candid way-   
"I can handle anything- and I mean- anything just so long as you're willing to break me in slowly"   
Was he- he was-   
Sonic was, in his own way, confronting it head on-while being shy at the same exact time- it only became apparent when he placed his arms gently behind his back and gently held his left arm with his right hand while gently digging the front end of his shoe into the ground in front of Shadow-even going so far as to slightly bend his knees inward.   
It was so incredibly difficult not to touch Shadow, and when he got closer he felt a wave of understanding and respect withhold him, a vibe that radiated from the efficient,exotic older male that just signified to the princling that here-he was to be lead, he was not to lead, he was to be controlled and to obey, not to jump into it like a chaotic pup jacked up on hormones.   
It was such a strong sensation that he visibly behaved as a result as someone who was in training would- which was just fine considering the context of a great bulk of their daily routine.   
Sonic was immediately moldable-commandable-and had consent written all over him in every plausible way-it was everything the darker male could have ever wanted right there in front of him- in a way that was so apparent it was secondary to no figment of his imagination.   
Shadow had him exactly where he wanted him, pinned down in a way that was so achingly apparent that it made him twitch in need.   
In this situation, and in a great deal of the ones that this could lead to, Sonic was not the superior status-Shadow was.   
The switch in sensation and the power was immediately addictive.   
Sonic must have known how to behave from simply being around Shadow all these years- while he would taunt and mock him, trading verbal good natured blows with a sassy spirit publically- here-right now- he was not anything but behaved and willing to do anything to get even just the slightest bit of acceptance.   
Sonic was weak-and in a sudden epiphany it became very apparent that of all the people he could be weak to, Shadow was the most likely to satisfy him emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally.   
It just hit home hard suddenly that Sonic, with as eager and trusting and sweet and honest and good natured as he was, was also very, VERY smart.   
He wanted what he wanted BECAUSE he knew Shadow was his best chance for every single need he had as royalty, as a person, in every way, would be satisfied. With no sensation of backstabbing, no chance in hell of being poisioned or even marginally hurt.   
It was a strong instinct he wielded that had him yielding so willingly to his Captain-and it suddenly made Shadow see from Sonics perspective very strongly, just EXACTLY why he was so sure about everything.  
Shadow’s eyes dilated at the words Sonic spoke to him, the way he moved closer to him and the very way he shyly offered way -WAY- too much to him. Shadow was, in no way, immune to the blue prince and when he said “break me in slowly” the knight had to grip his towel hard enough to turn his knuckles a light grey.under the thin fur just to keep himself grounded. Posturing such as this was enough to make his canines ache.  
Sonic was metaphorically offering his neck to Shadow and it took all of the hedgehog’s strength not to bite him hard enough to leave a claiming mark. The king would kill him for sure. Still…  
The Captain raised himself to his fullest height, quills puffing out a bit as his he began to circle Sonic like a large cat stalking prey. It was too much. Sonic was offering him too much and Shadow was pretty damn sure the kid had no idea know just much the offer to eat him up alive was too tempting to deny.   
Sucking in a deep breath, he all but loomed over the smaller male and did his absolute best to not simply devour him right there on the spot. Slowly he came to a stop just inches in front of the younger male, standing toe to toe with him drinking in the sight.  
“You can handle anything, hm?” Carefully, he reached out and ran his fingers over Sonic’s soft cheek, thumb rubbing against the short soft fur there. He highly doubted Sonic could ‘handle anything’ but he was pretty damn sure the young hedgehog was sturdy enough to handle most things. “Tell me, how experienced are you?” As he spoke, his gently maneuvered Sonic back towards the bed, feeling rather emboldened by the wine coursing through his system.  
“Ever had a mate?” He smirked darkly when the backs of Sonci’s legs hit the edge of the bed and forced the other to sit down heavily. It was a pretty site -Sonic looking at him with head at just the right level to lean forward and- “Ever let someone into your bed?” There was a possessive edge to his voice, sounding a bit like a growl as he spoke. It rumbled deep in chest as the blood from his brain dropped to somewhere further south.  
Sonic's heart was beating so fast it took everything for him not to cover his delicate ears from the sound as it was so loud one could swear it wasn't coming from inside his chest.   
Shadow, was, just-- THIS was why he was a commander-not that the cobalt male had ever questioned the obsidian's talented way of using absolutely every aspect of himself- to coax a positive response of obedience from absolutely everyone-that even his own father admired and sought out in times of need when his own temperament-though firm-couldn't provide the required response. This was why he was brought along with Jules when the Princes father needed a firm pair of eyes during a peace treaty with countries that just didn't ring entirely genuine with their overall intentions.   
This was why the he was in charge of their knights and their strength and the organization-he took the wind right out if Sonic's very lungs-his sails-and his entire being was raw and vulnerable and tingling in anticipation before he had even been TOUCHED just by the sheer aura of certainty and confidence this man produced.   
It was overpowering-to the point where it drove Sonic to his proverbial and.... well, physical knees.   
Something he had anticipated, but was overjoyed in a way to actually experience.   
This was what the younger male had been pining after-knowing he would be in experienced, safe hands.   
It wasn't a mistake, it couldn't be, not when it reeked of "RIGHT" to the point where his pouch was already hard and aching-not when he didn't fear- not when he just wanted to do everything in his power to obtain such a powerful being of such unparalleled integrity.   
Everyone else literally and figuratively PALED in comparison.   
Sonic felt like he could do absolutely anything when the obsidian before him was at his side, but it was more than that- it was way more than that.   
"I -...I never trusted ... anyone-as much as you"   
He cleared his throat after his voice broke- gripping the sheets softly.   
It was true.   
Sonic was always on the lookout for a particle of plausibility in others to be a good mate-and he always found himself shying away when something profoundly concerning cropped up.   
It wasn't just his safety that was in danger if he made a unwise choice- it was everyone's.   
He couldn't afford to lose even an inch of his mental health or have a single issue with another partner of power-and a lot of his potentials were downright unsightly with how they revealed more unsavory intentions towards more than just him-but his kingdom and it's people.   
Amy was the only one who had come close, but she managed to scare him off by being TOO up front WAY too fast.   
Long before he had discovered what he wanted, or what he needed in a mate.   
Sonic was far less impulsive than Shadow could have imagined-he agonized over his choices at times-and he just felt that the best choice was right in front of him.   
For himself, for his family, for his country and its safety and his people.   
The fact that Shadow was finally considering him was a huge relief to him- in so many ways that it almost immediately removed him from countless numbers of anxieties.   
"I - no one's ever come even half this close"   
He felt like he was losing his mind, unsure of exactly how he was managing to say any of this when this thick fog of lust was flooding his genitals- but he was pressured immediately by that vibe of posession to assure the Captain that-  
"U-uh-pardon.... myself, that is, but I think that hardly counts-"   
He genuinely squeaked the word "counts" as Shadow grinned in a way that caused his heart to constrict his throat.  
Shadow simply smirked at the commentary, as if he were purely amused by Sonic’s sweet and naive admission. Probably because he was. It also didn’t help that the thought of Sonic being so untouched by anyone else was intoxicating. It was like wanting something for so long and then, after SO much bullshit, finally being allowed to have it. He was unsure whether he should dive in and greedily take it all or savor his prize bit by bit.  
“What…” He gently pushed Sonic back, watching as the blue hedgehog’s back hit the soft bed with ease, “... is it you’re looking for here?” He was asking about boundaries in a rather loose way. Casually feeling for what the other would be comfortable with and what would be too much too soon. That and hearing Sonic ask for it was a turn on in its own right.  
Looking down at the sprawled out prince, Shadow tossed his towel down next to him and bit the tip of his own glove -using his teeth to carefully pull the white cloth off his long dark hands. A red stripe running down his arm continued to the middle finger and it creating a striking image to anyone who got to see it. Which...was not a lot. Shadow was fairly conservative with his appearance which often included gloves and shoes at all times -something that had been carried over from childhood.   
Shadow knew exactly how rare is coloring was. It was an inescapable fact he was forced to hear over and over again by the time he was even 8 years old. It was a problem for his family, especially in a war torn country where the spoils of a conquest included the people on the bloodsoaked land. If it weren’t for Jules showing up when he did, there was a high chance that Shadow would be the pet of some high ranking official in the neighboring kingdoms.   
The freed hand aided the other and removed the remaining glove so that long and elegant black fingers could flex in the low candle light. He reached out with those very fingers and allowed the tips of them to brush against Sonic’s chest, feeling the soft tiny tuft of fur that lived there. It was nowhere near the size of Shadow’s white fur or even his Father’s fluff but that would change with time. Sonic was still comparatively young and had a lot more growing to do.   
Casually the Captain raked his claws down Sonic’s chest and stilled them at his stomach, the pressure gentle enough to not leave a mark but firm enough to leave a ghosting trail of sensation in their wake. Shadow, if nothing else, was a very skilled mate.  
“Shall I simply touch?” He leaned in, muzzle nuzzling the uninjured hear of his partner. “Or do you want more?” If there was a point in time where Shadow had reservations, he had clearly thrown them out the fucking window when he pounded his third goblet of wine that evening.  
Sonic was baffled momentarily by the question-what did he want exactly?   
"I'm getting everything I want-"   
He answered, a little voice in the back of his mind screaming that wasn't what Shadow was asking for or about- "Oh! I mean- his head shook just slightly to clear itself-and then his mouth opened to form a "o" as the handsome male before him treated him to the visual of him removing his gloves-  
With his teeth-   
He swallowed hard with need, his hands unconciously kneading the comforter-which brushed up against his downy vibrant fur softly and coldly-as Sonic melted into it.   
He was phased by absolutely everything Shadow did-from his voice that sent shivers down his spine, to his expression that caused his toes to spread and flex-toes that were covered in shoes, that he needed off, NOW.   
He had never in his life wanted to shed his shoes in front of anyone.   
Sonic had adapted to life in a way that was unique, often wearing just a flush pair of boxers, shoes, and gloves around, only generally dressing up for events, which was unusual for a aristocratic mobian-but he took right after his father-who often only added the crown and a feather laden crimson cape.   
The pair were odd in that way. Until people knew about their speed.   
Both of them had the gift of speed-and neither of them wasted the merit on clothing, unless they were sure they didn't need to run. They also never removed their gloves or shoes, unless they were POSITIVE they would be safe and protected.   
Admist Sonic arching his back beautifully into the Commander's clawed hands as they traveled downward with a elegant little moan-a "thump" sounded out just behind Shadow, before he realized Sonic had used his right foot to push the heel of the left until he got free-   
A tiny little whine left the plush male in front of him-   
"I want you- please I just- "  
He visibly panted, interrupting himself- he was riling himself up- another solid "thunk" was heard- before Sonic hastily ripped his left glove off- and discarded it before he reached upwards- his fingertips were petite and beautiful-and aside from his mother and father, and Shadow himself-no one knew the fact that his hands were so delicate, or that his wrists were so tiny-he was effeminate in so many ways- which was a huge part of his appeal to Shadow in particular-the same as his father, his features simply were stunning, the underside of his fingertips lined in fur that matched his peach stomach-marks that made him rare along with Shadow, though far more discreet and easily covered.   
He touched along the other males muzzle carefully-   
"I trust you-"   
Those emerald eyes were so soft and honest- sonics knees and thighs rubbing together in innocent need as he laid out beneath Shadow, nearly bare and relaxed, excited, and happy-just rolling with acceptance and desire for his counterpart.   
"Take me, whatever, I want to belong to you-"   
He heard Shadow hiss in approval- and he stopped talking to smile warmly and gently at the red and black hedgehogs need to hear him say it, and once he got it, that sensation of need being fulfilled shocking him so much he made a sound both of them recognized as a sense of shocked happiness.   
"Do you like that?"   
Shadow didn't answer, not wanting to expose what he liked or didn't like quite yet, but instead nudging his ear and nuzzling into Sonics ungloved hand.   
"I belong to you- all of me-I want to satisfy and please you-"   
Sonic was going to kill Shadow just through words-   
"Use me-please-I wanna lose it all to you, o-or, whatever you're comfortable with taking-"   
He added as an afterthought-knowing that Shadow might want to savor him.   
"Do whatever-the-hell-you've wanted for so long to me-just -don't uh-don't be rough-I'm still-uh-kind of nervous"   
Piercing red eyes revealed themselves and pinned him down with their understanding, yet firm gaze.   
"Please-please"   
Sonic begged-wanting so badly to lose it, now or eventually it didn't really matter, specifically to this person. Something he knew he would never regret, sensed it deep in his gut.   
"I wanna make you happy, I wanna give you back what you've given me all these years in any way I can-"   
The poor thing needed to slow down because he looked suddenly overcome with emotion-ready to cry even-   
Making it more than apparent-   
This is what Sonic wanted, every form of this.  
Oh for christs sake, the kid was going to give him a fucking heart attack. Shadow visibly shook with withstrain for a good minute before closing his eyes, inhaling deeply and finally getting his body under control. This was a hell of a lot to be offered on a silver platter all at once. It was like every wet dream, every dark fantasy, every wish, want and desire rolled into one blue package and given to him with a fucking bow on top.  
If he didn’t control the strain in his pouch, he was going to blow his load before he got the chance to even get to the good part. Another deep breath and Shadow opened his eyes to look at the prize before him. Sonic could be fucking irresistible when he wanted to be and Shadow suspected he rather wanted to be right then.   
Moving one ungloved hands down from the soft fur at the prince’s chest to the even softer fur at his stomach, Shadow spread out his fingers and possessively roamed the expanse of body presented to him. The captain nipped at blue ungloved fingers and ran a tongue along the tip of his middle finger, enjoying the fully body shivers such an action sent down Sonic’s spine.   
“Breathe.” He commanded softly, “Can’t have you passing out on me just yet.” That familiar smirk traced along the line of his lips, teasing at his younger companion like he used to.   
When Sonic seemed to calm down a little, Shadow took that as his cue to continue -allowing his hand to trail down to pouch growing firm with the hardening length hidden beneath. Slowly, with crimson eyes focussed intently on Sonic’s face, he began to rub at the pouch. As if to coax out the throbbing and relieve some of the built up tension within.  
Sonic nodded and took a few swift and lengthy inhales- slowing down his breathing-his stomach gently concaving to Shadow's touch, his whole body reacting beautifully-everything perfectly functional- including-that hard on.   
Sonic junior had been raring to go since before the Dark knight had even laid his hands on the other-even the INTENTION to touch had driven his pupil crazy with need.   
"Sorry-"   
Shadow shook his head and smiled-amused by Sonics desire to apologize for his excitement-   
Once he had levied his need to breath and come down, his pouch released his length- the site of which was just as desirable as the rest of him- "there you are-"   
The deep voice rolled over the prince as he shuddered and tingled- the area in between his legs was so delicate and was decorated with a soft powder blue tint in his fur-drawing attention to an area Shadow was debating penetrating- the fluffy tail just underneath it was out-of-sorts-puffed out in all directions-and sporadically twitching-vibrating with heat.   
Shadow had had a few male partners but Sonic was the definition of his type of male-and displayed a lot of qualities in his body language that screamed vulnerability, desire, weakness, lust-at the top decibel range afforded to it in a way that just let whoever was lucky enough to have him they were wanted-  
A strong, burning grip grabbed onto Sonic's hip and he let out a shocked moan- he was sensitive to the touch-especially so because everything was new and he was just now experiencing it for the first time.   
He bucked gently into the commanders hold-unintentionally-his length wet with pre cum and dripping down the shaft with pre cum.   
The smell was like a bitter vanilla-and he was ripe with it-a powehouse of phermones and honest candid genuine need.   
His right ear flopped sideways and his eyes crossed in pleasure when Shadow took a hold of his member- so overpowered by simple touch it was endearing to witness.   
Another soft whimsical and honest sound left his throat-hitched with a note of desire, a louder pitched moan that peeled off from the first with higher intensity.   
"Shadow-! Oh- I-mmmmmhhh--please I-more-more-I want more- "   
He rolled his hips-surging into Shadow's experienced hands wantonly-the fur on his back scuffing as he dug his right leg out from underneath Shadow-and with a higher pitched moan he spread his left leg as well and opened himself up like exactly like he was-a beta in heat.   
"I want you - I want you-"   
He seized the dark knight gently with his legs and wrapped his arms around his neck, kissing him roughly-certaintly inexperienced there as well-but there was a certain and fair amount of amusement in the fact he held his own relatively well in that powerful kiss by sheer passion alone.   
Sonic was a bit of a clingy lover but considering the context it was fine- he would probably only get more adventurous and independant and confident with himself sexually as he gained experience- as things stand he was a pretty reactive and energetic virgin-which bode well.  
Eagerly returning the kiss, Shadow was distinctly reminded of how long it had been since he actually kissed another person. Sure he had fucked a sweet boy here and there but that was more about getting through a rut with his sanity in tact than it was about romance. No, the last person he had kissed with any intent had been his mate and that…. Had been a very long time ago. Still, kissing had muscle memory to it and as soon as he got into the groove, he knew exactly where to pick up and take over.  
Wrapping a hand around the exposed member, Shadow gave a slight squeeze and reveled in the little whimpers that fell from parted lips. Sonic made the cutest noises like this. Rubbing his entire palm over the head, he gathered precum and made his hand slick with it so the process was easier to manipulate. He knew perfectly well that Sonic was begging for more but Shadow wasn’t ready to give him more just yet. Fucking the young prince this early into things could have devastating results, especially if neither of them were actually prepared for it. And he was pretty sure neither of them were adequately prepared for it.  
“You like this?” Shadow’s voice dripped like melted chocolate, sweetly coating the thin air between their lips. God this could get addictive and if he wasn’t careful, he could easily get caught up in said addiction. Using his free hand to adjust himself, Shadow shifted and loosened his grip on Sonic just enough to slide his own need right up against his partner’s. The size difference was rather noticeable as Sonic was relatively average and Shadow was…. just above that. He knew it could be an intimidating factor so instead of commenting, he merely moved his fisted hand down their joined lengths and groaned at the feeling of it.   
The king was going to kill him for this but in that moment, Shadow didn’t fucking care. He’d take exile any day as long as it meant he’d still get to experience this just once in his lifetime. His hips took up a steady pace, thrusting against Sonic’s swollen cock as his rubbed them both down with just one large hand. The sensation was like raw electricity tingling against his skin. Bumping his muzzle into Sonic’s gently, Shadow licked his way into Sonic’s mouth and demanded even more of whatever the prince could give him. After all, Shadow could be such a greedy and selfish thing.  
Sonic nestled himself into it-realizing that he now understood why sex was something people sought after-the spicy scent of shadow played with his own senses-and he reoriented the kiss to open up his own mouth-allowing his commander to take advantage of it and thrust his tongue in as he started to get into the groove of the movements-mimicking them gently to maximize Shadow's pleasure- he was a rather quick study- finding himself unable to comment on Shadow's size - which was as he first assumed- instead rolling his his and spreading his legs more-giving easier access to Shadow as he gave then both a collective hand-job that had Sonic on the precipiece of losing it- he held on tightly-his hips rolling with graceful arches into Shadow's hands- as he cried out more loudly with each buck- until  
Something just, started to overtake him- a blooming sensation, more raw than what he remembered from jerking off alone- no-this was better-bucking a few stray times as cum shot upwards onto his stomach and chest-having a lot of it to offer.  
He strained with the feeling- pulling out of the kiss to inhale loudly-a urgent cry of pure pleasure raising up as he shook from oversensitation just after- he watched as Shadow reared back slightly- grunting before he came- all over Sonic- who didn't offer a single complaint- smiling in the aftermath sweetly.  
Sated to his bones, Shadow slumped over Sonic and took in a lungful of air. When was the last time he had done this with someone? Years, he was sure. Shadow had given up on trying to satiate his desires a long time ago with hollow shells merely bearing the likeness of his prince -they always paled in comparison and were never quite enough. Rolling off to the side, the captain continued to breathe deeply until his heart stopped racing and the stars stopped exploding behind his eyelids.   
“Stay there.” came his gravel laden voice as he rolled over and got to his feet. There was a second to stabilize himself before he was off to the bathroom. Soft sounds of clinking vials and the gentle splashing of water proceeded Shadow and his return, drifting into the main room along with the smell of lavender oil. The knight moved with such ease that he seemed to drift through a room as oppose to just walk like mere mortals -surely it was this kind of action that started some of the rumors of his immortality. That and the fact the black hedgehog never seem to age after he reached puberty.   
Most assumed it had something to do with his unique coloring but others suspected it might have something to do with an usual lineage.   
Shadow sat carefully on the bed next to his companion before dutifully began the cleaning process. Swiping a damp cloth over Sonic’s stomach fur as he cleaned up the remains of their activities. He was incredibly attentive to what he was doing, caring for the prince in a way that he hadn’t done since they were kids, bandaging up a scraped knee from a trip and tumble. The comparison and difference between Shadow of then and Shadow of now were… startling.  
“Get some rest.” He got up to place the soiled rag in the bathroom, allowing his voice to drift in before him. “You have a long day tomorrow and quite a bit of money waged against you.” The amused chuckle rumbled out of his chest by the time he reached the bed again. “And I assure you, I have every intent on winning the wagers.”

Sonic watched Shadow get his fur damp-coming out if his refractory period with a hazed expression- he had started to get up only to hear Shadow imply it was ok for him to stay.   
It was ... ok for him to-   
Ok on that case he was gonna pass out in this bed-because going to sleep with the smell of Shadow all encompassing him felt- safe.   
Drawing himself up to his knees he pawed at the comforter until he could pull it back- drawing himself into it-and pulling it up over himself- closing his eyes as he stuffed his face into fluffy pillows.   
"I didn't think that would happen- I'm totally not sure if I can last"   
The little mumble rose from beneath the pillow.   
"I was bluffing"   
"You're hot"  
The captain smiled down at his smaller charge and gently pet at the soft fur next to his uninjured ear. He’d probably never get around to ever telling Sonic the truth but this was something he’d always craved. This quiet closeness of the having a mate next to him in bed at night once again. Ever since Maria…   
Shadow sighed to himself and crawled under the covers, tucking them around the prince and himself as he stared up at the canopy above his bed. The stillness of the night was only broken by the soft breathing of the hedgehog next to him, something which keenly reminding him of when they were young.   
Specifically on nights when the sky was alive with raging storms and Shadow could make out a tiny whimper from his door. He’d lift his covers without lifting his head and the moment another flash of lightening illuminated the room, a tiny blue blur would dart across the floor and dive under the covers for safety. Shadow indulged this -thought it was remarkably endearing that the little prince ran to his room instead of to the safety of his parent’s when he was scared.   
If he had to guess, it was because Shadow had been introduced as Sonic’s protector -his knight from the moment he was old enough to understand what that was. Shadow had been there for Sonic’s first steps, first words, first scraped knee… he’d been there for every first. Every first right up until the point Sonic hit puberty -which is the point he’d run away and probably the same point where everything had gone so wrong.  
Guilt coated Shadow’s stomach and he found himself curling up around the blue hedgehog. He was the trigger for Sonic’s anxiety, the timeline added up and there was just no explaining it otherwise. This was something he was going to have to work out and earn a forgiveness Sonic didn’t know he was owed.  
The smaller male yawned into the embrace-his uninjured ear vibrating with the motion before he settled back down-licking his lips as his socked feet stretched outwards like little stars- his whole form vibrating as he stretched with it, returning back to the half ball of comfort with two burning hands on him and a firm body tucked neatly around his back.   
He'd fallen asleep before he even realized he was going to bed. His mind sensing the safety of his youth had reoriented and returned to where it belonged.   
Shadow was here, was not going to leave him, and he'd just lost a form of intimacy to him he was happy to give away.   
He purred in his sleep softly until he was too deep in unconciousness to continue-tiny claws kneading until he was passed out-his face shoved deep into a pillow.   
\--  
Which is exactly how he woke up- his rest so incredible that he felt alive immediately- though there was drool on his face a little from just how deep he'd gone into rem.   
His tail pushed up the sheet as he jerked awake, rubbing his face and rubbing off the drool- realizing Shadow tucked him in tighter before the black knight got out of bed himself.   
He shrugged off the upper half and stretched forward-curling his chest in as he stretched his tummy while still laying on the bed- his tail perking up as the sheet fell off it before he stretched forward-shoving his head into his arms curled under his face-his knees planted firmly into the bed as he relaxed into it-   
SLAP  
"DAH!"   
He jerked-dropping flat as Shadow snorted-   
"Get your ass in gear-so I can give it the whooping it deserves"   
Sonic's eyes were huge-the unexpected spanking starling him- pulling his feet out as the black knight chuckled-on his way back to the bathroom as Sonic snorted after his wake.   
He could get used to this.


End file.
